Backpacking
by Isabella Juliet
Summary: Bella, Alice and Jasper decide to celebrate their last summer before college by going backpacking for a month in Europe. Who could they possibly meet there? Lots of cities, romance... All Human, normal pairings. First fanfic
1. Chapter 1

Backpacking

**Hey everyone. So, my new (and first) fanfic. I decided to do it because I've never read a story just like this. (You can and must correct me if I'm wrong) Anyways, let me know what you think. Here's the first chapter, but it's really just a prologue to the story. ****New chapter coming along as we speak! :D**

Backpacking – Chapter 1 Airplane

BPOV

It was the end of June and our last summer before college. Me, Alice and Jasper, my best friends, had graduated from Forks High and would start our studies in Seattle University. Before that we had all wanted to do something adventurous before the end of our carefree high school days.

Deciding our destination had been difficult, to say the least. Alice had wanted to visit every single fashion capital in Europe and visit a beach resort if there was enough time after her shopping excursion – to get a decent tan before college. Jasper, being Alice's long-term boyfriend would of course follow her. Don't get me wrong, Jasper is no pushover. Alice just means so much to her that he doesn't care where they'd be. It just amazing how deeply they are connected. Sometimes I felt like an intruder hanging around them, and they would only be looking at each other, but of course they would never make me feel like I didn't belong.

Yeah, but back to the issue at hand now. I of course didn't want to only visit Milan, Paris, London and Madrid and call it adventurous. The reason I wanted to go to Europe was to explore. Learn about different customs and see all those places I had grown fond of when reading books and that would include cities Alice couldn't probably buy things with labels on.

So, we decided to compromise. We all bought an Interrail ticket good for a month and would travel through all of Europe. And since it had been so hard to determine where we wanted to go, we'd agreed on going to the places we all wanted to see together and go separately to some destinations.

I was excited to say the least. The trip had been a graduation present from my Mom, Renee and her new husband Phil and all the supplies and some cash had been provided by my Dad, Charlie. To me it seemed too expensive a gift, but they just shrugged it off and said I deserved it. Since I had gotten a scholarship to WSU and earned rest of the needed money by working part-time in a local sporting good's store they wanted to help me make this a summer to remember. I was already shivering with excitement as I sat on my seat on a flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Heathrow, London.

"Bella, do you want a drink or not?" A teasing voice woke me up from my reminiscing, not to mention the playful jab I received to my ribs.

I looked to my side and saw Alice, Jasper and a polite-looking stewardess eyeing me with curiosity. I blushed.

"Um…What was the question again?"

Alice's laughter tinkled through the airplane. "Do you want a drink? We're all getting coke."

"I'll just have a coke, as well", I answered quickly to get the attention away from me.

The stewardess nodded understandingly and turned to her drink cart pouring three glasses of coke and than handed them to us with napkins and some free biscuits. I turned to Alice and Jasper.

"Honestly Bella, I called at least a dozen times!" Alice's frustration, due to the long flight, was starting to become evident. Alice was my best friend ever; we had known each other since kindergarten. She was tiny, even shorter than me, but had the energy that a normal person would get by drinking a gallon of Red Bull per hour. She had a short, black hair, a pair of light brown eyes that always glinted and, as Alice would say, an impeccable sense of fashion.

"Alice dear, I told this was to be expected if we let Bella sit next to the window", Jasper said calmly, amusement clear in his voice. He was tall and lean, with a fashionably-cut honey blond hair and ice-blue eyes. He was perfect for Alice, calming her hyper state of mind as much as possible.

Jasper was sitting in the middle and Alice on the isle seat. It was for the best. Alice could be aware of everything and Jasper could protect me from her if she got bored. I had a few bad experiences of sitting next to her on long bus rides and ending up having nails painted in a "adorable" polka dot pattern or cornrows on my head.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Bella-a", Alice's whiny voice woke me up._

_Being grumpy, both from the awakening and the fact that sleeping on a bus seat is never comfortable, I groaned at her and tried to find a better position on the hard seat. _

"_What, Alice? You know I was kinda sleeping?"_

"_I saw that, and that's exactly why I woke you up! You have been sleeping for almost the entire bus ride and I'm bored, and I had this amazing idea I'd love to try!" Her giddiness even after a short night (we'd been forced to wake up at five am) was mind boggling. _

_Uh oh. This could not be good. "Alice, I don't care! I want to relax. I woke up at five, for crying out loud!"_

"_Big deal. I woke up at three thirty. Besides you don't even have to do anything, while I make you beautiful for our fifth grade field trip." She was sitting on her legs holding a comb and a bag of small rubber bands in her right hand. _

"_I really don't think the people at the Natural History Museum will care what I look like." _

"_But I care!" Alice said, a sad little pout forming on her lips. She knew I couldn't say no to that._

_I sighed resentfully. "All right, then. But nothing tacky."_

"_Oh don't you even worry, Bella. These are really fashionable right now, I read it from seventeen."_

_Seventy minutes later…_

"_Tada!" Alice said victoriously throwing a mirror in front of me after tugging at my hair and almost ripping it off for over an hour. _

_I stared at my reflection in horror. "Alice what are these?"_

"_Cornrows, all the hip people wear these."_

"_I think you meant all the hip HOP people wear these. Not normal people who like their hair."_

_Alice just huffed at me and refused to believe that cornrows really didn't suit me. The day turned out to be marvellous with everyone staring at my hairdo. And to top that, it was raining so my hair turned frizzy like it does, which made the braids look even weirder. Not to mention that it hurt a lot to take them off and my scalp was sore for days afterwards._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Oh yeah, and I'm Bella, in case you wondered. I'm eighteen years old (just like Alice and Jasper) and…hmm, how should I describe myself? Normal, I guess. Nothing that would stand out. I have a long brown hair that twists into those irritating waves when it's wet outside, and chocolate brown eyes. I'm about 5'4" tall and I'm incredibly clumsy – I think that should count as a feature, it's a really dominating one. I've lived almost all my life in the small town of Forks, Washington with Charlie. Mom divorced from Charlie when I was ten and took me with her to Phoenix, Arizona – that's the almost part. But I begged her to let me go back and after six months, she finally agreed to let me live with Charlie. Alice was thrilled of course. She'd been devastated when I left and when I returned, we were together 24/7 for two months before she finally agreed to sleep alone.

My life had been really normal for the entire eighteen and some years I'd been alive. I went to school with Alice and Jasper, spent time with my friends and read, a lot. I rarely watched television due to a serious addiction Charlie had on baseball and football. In stead, I read books over and over. Practically all my alone time was reading. I'd never had a boyfriend, though Alice had thrown several "promising" candidates my way. She didn't like me being alone while she and Jasper hung out, but I really didn't mind. Well, maybe I did mind a little, but I just didn't find any of those teenage high school boys interesting. Besides, Charlie being Chief of Police had a tendency to scare the crap out of the brave guys that came to my door. His habit of carrying his gun with him to open the door intimidated them in particular.

I looked to my side and noticed Alice leaning on Jasper's shoulder while he was stroking her hair soothingly. I sighed contentedly. Now that Alice was calmed I could resume my daydreaming in peace.

I though all kinds of things and at some point must have fallen asleep because the next thing I noticed was the ding of the seatbelt sign and the deep voice of our captain declaring it was 18 degrees Celsius in London and that we'd start our descent in about ten minutes.

Alice was already awake and was gathering all the things she had removed from her brown Gucci purse during the plane ride. Jasper was calmly reading Charles Dickens with his things packed and seatbelt on. I also clicked my seatbelt on and placed all my things inside my purse and stuffed the whole thing under the seat, as instructed.

As the wheels of the plane touched the ground with a jolt, I couldn't help smiling. We were in London and about to start a real adventure.

**So there you go… How was it? **


	2. Arriving

Chapter 2 – Arriving

**Here you go, chapter 2. I'm trying to make it authentic and realistic but the thing is, I haven't visited all the countries they are going to, so don't be too upset if it doesn't match the real thing perfectly****. Feel free to comment if I make huge errors :D**

**Thanks a million for all the lovely people who reviewed and read my story. I was dazed after my first reviews ever and couldn't stop jumping for like… three hours. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mrs. Meyers incredible characters but the storyline is mostly mine. (Sorry I forgot to put this on the first chapter.)**

Chapter 2 – Arriving

BPOV

We entered terminal 1 at Heathrow airport and followed the large group of airline passengers making their way towards the passport check.

"Do we really have to show our passports?", Alice whined to me and Jasper. "I have a terrible picture in it. It was the day I had a cold and my nose was all red. Plus I was late from the photo shoot and I had to run to make it, which make my hair look terrible."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Alice, only EU-citizens can go through without the check. Besides, everyone hates their passport picture."

"So are you saying that it's awful? Thanks a million, Bella!"

Jasper put his arm around Alice and started whispering in her ear and when we halted to wait in line, she was already giggling just like her usual self.

After showing our "awful" pictures to the grumpy airport official we went to the baggage claim for our bags. Alice was the first to notice our flight from the monitor and the first to notice out backpacks. It wasn't in fact such a feat, since all the other passengers had either a standard black suitcase of a standard tartan-chequered suitcase. Our luggage stood out a bit. Mine and Jasper's backpacks were normal black things that fit an amazing amount of stuff. Alice on the other hand didn't even consider carrying a gigantic, generic, sporty-looking thing around Europe – as she so kindly had put it. Instead, she found a backpack make of brown leather and red fabric. It was really elegant, I also admitted it, but it would fit next to nothing.

That of course gave Alice another dilemma on how to get all the things she wanted to have with her to fit. After three days of listing her things into must-haves, maybe-necessities, nearly-uselesses she finally decided to just up her budget, pack only her own cosmetics and some clothes, buy things when she needed something and ship the other stuff home. I was actually truly glad it turned out okay for Alice; I didn't even want to imagine a situation where Alice would have to manage without her cosmetics.

"Honestly Jasper what it the percentage of Alice's stuff in your backpack?", I asked teasingly, examining the very full state of his luggage. Alice must have found a few more essentials to pack.

"Oh shush, Bella, if you'd been there when I started to pack you would be proud of the percentage I managed to cut back. At one point I really considered hiring someone to carry my stuff around", Alice said while strapping her backpack in place.

* * *

With Jasper's navigation skills we had no trouble finding the right underground and we only had to change once to get to Victoria Street. The Tube was an experience itself. Forks didn't really have any of those, which made this current ride my first one. The blackness was oddly numbing but as a station whizzed past, the sudden light made me jump in shock. And another challenge appeared when the train stopped for a station. If I hadn't been holding on to one of the poles (which apparently can infect you with small pox, as Alice very clearly stated after wiping hers down with a moist Kleenex.) I would certainly have found myself flat on my face with the backpack crushing my insides. Jasper sat on one of the orange seats, ignoring the questionable state of most of them, chuckling silently at Alice's germ phobia.

When the train halted at our stop, we stepped out and headed for the stairs. As I climbed them up, I could fees the backpack weighing down and I hadn't even worn it that long. It wasn't really bad but I could just imagine carrying this thing with me for hours, searching for a place to stay and the pain that would issue.

The bed and breakfast we were staying at wasn't too far way. We had chosen it because it was close to the shopping possibilities Alice needed and close to St James' park and Thames. When we walked along the street we considered different alternatives on what to do tonight.

"It would be nice to do something. I mean, the first night has to be special", I said while looking around my eyes darting in every direction.

"Oh! I know just the thing for us to do!" Alice's sudden excitement had my thoughts alerted instantly.

"Alice, we are not going shopping for our first night. I have to carry all the stuff I buy"

She laughed heartily at my vehement answer as she walked through our bed and breakfast's door Jasper held open for us.

* * *

EPOV

"Dude, did you see that blonde chick living on our floor? Man she is hot!"

Emmett stormed into our hotel room banging the door into the wall behind it. I silently groaned thinking about the hole in the tapestry, which would surely be there before we checked out two days later. I raised my eyebrow at him. "And here I was under the impression you were supposed to find us something to do for our first night in Europe while you were checking out and probably scaring the crap out of pretty girls."

Emmett huffed dismissively and plopped on the bed he had assigned himself the moment we had stepped into the room about three hours previously. "Oh please. _Scare the crap out of them?_ With my charm? Nah, I talked to her and asked her if she knew something worth looking at in London."

"Emmett, we're in London, I think anyone would find something worth looking at. So what did this very hot chick of yours say?"

"Stop being an idiot and maybe I'll tell you", Emmett replied with a smirk. "And her name is Rosalie, for your information. And she said that the pubs are great."

"Anything else? Or are we just going to spend three days in pubs?"

"Well I wouldn't mind doing that if Rosalie comes along." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I gave up trying to find out what more this Rosalie had said about the tourist attractions in London. Lifting myself up from my bed, I put on my sneakers and walked to the door, announcing Emmett that I'd be downstairs looking for more detailed information. I smiled to myself when walking down the hallway; Emmett certainly had the ability to keep things from getting boring.

Exploring Europe had been a hope of mine ever since we had started to study geography in school. I had made lists on the sights I wished to visit and surfed through dozens of Internet sites finding so many places that it would take me the better part of a year to go through them all.

Getting Emmett to come along wasn't too hard. He was always open for a chance to let loose. And after I mentioned the several topless beaches in Europe, he was ready to book the trip. Besides ever since he saw the episode of Friends with the pick-up line, he had wanted to go to Europe just to be able to actually use it.

**(****AN - Anyone watch Friends? lol)** I was honestly glad that Emmett wanted to come with me. Sure, I had friends but most of them were incredibly immature and none of them were the kind you wanted to spend a month with.

We had booked Interrail tickets for a month starting from the beginning of July. With my family financing the trip would be no problem, but I had wanted an authentic impression, and if that meant travelling in economy class, travelling on train floors and carrying a heavy backpack around then I would do it. I had spent enough holidays in first class destinations. Emmett had also agreed on our way of travelling. He had said that plain and simple conditions were the perfect way to use charm with girls – offer you seat in a packed tram and so on. And as it turned out, Emmett didn't even need to be chivalrous to pick up a girl.

I walked down the stairs from our third story room into the ground floor that consisted of a reception, a comfortable looking breakfast area with a small kitchen and a lounging space for watching TV, socializing and reading newspapers that were scattered on the sofa table. It was a pretty good arrangement since the rooms weren't too big.

I walked to the lounging area and sat down on one of the huge armchairs next to the sofa table, and grabbed the Sun from this morning. I was just reading about the progress on the walkway constructions in London when a gush of warm summer air and a tinkling laugh announced someone's arrival. From my seat I could clearly see the group of three that was standing in the entrance hall; a tall, blonde man, a small, short-haired girl and another girl with a long brown hair all of them setting their backpacks at their feet and looking around.

The short, black-haired one stepped towards the reception and dinged the small bell that was placed on the desk.

"What is taking so long, honestly? I need to get this backpack out of my sight after carrying it around for ages." I heard the small one mutter to the others. She was the one with the tinkling laughter; it was obvious from her voice.

"Chill Alice," the long haired one said chuckling. "See, here she comes."

The girl named Alice started to book their room while the girl amused with her friend's impatience started to look around again. I on the other hand was looking at her and the pleasant expression of her face as she looked at her surroundings. When her gaze met mine, she quickly turned away, as if embarrassed. She started to look at the travel brochures on the reception desk, which made me remember just why I had come downstairs in the first place.

I stood up and laid the Sun back to the table then walking slowly to where the group was still waiting for the receptionist to find them a room. I walked up next to the girl reached out to take a brochure of the V&A museum making her flinch at the sudden movement.

"Hey there," I said in a smooth tone, placing the brochure back on the table.

**There you go.**** I posted it sooner than I thought, but I just couldn't help myself. It might take longer before the next chapter though, so you have been warned.**

**I think I have never used the word backpack as much… **

**I left the story there because it would have been so long otherwise.**

**Review**


	3. Night out

**Hello again! Thanks for the reviews, they were amazing.**

**I was wondering if someone would notice my slip up in the last chapter. The 'hey there' wasn't really meant to sound player-ish, and when I posted it I thought about changing it but finally decided against it. **

**For the not-so-patient readers, Edward and Bella are not going to fall madly in love in the next few chapters. I have nothing against the stories where they do, I love reading them. Love at first sight happens, but I personally want that they get to know each other a bit better. But they will be together before their month is up. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. **

Chapter 3 – Night out

BPOV

"_Hey there."_

It was the guy I had noticed staring at me earlier. I was a bit startled and could think of nothing to say. The shyness I had suffered as a child was more prominent now than it had been for a few years. The guy seemed to notice the blush creeping to my cheeks and string it together with the fact I hadn't replied yet so he continued.

"Are you staying here as well?"

His emerald green eyes seemed kind, it seemed like his gaze made my apprehension fade.

"Yes we are, but just for two nights. This is just a small stop before the real thing."

He smiled a crooked smile at my answer. "A small stop, huh? So where are you headed?"

Somehow his curiosity didn't bother me as I would have thought. Strange people usually had my guard up instantly. I would dodge their questions as best I could and then turn the conversation onto something less personal. I was actually good at it, due to the practise Alice had given me with her candidates. But now it wasn't necessary.

"We are going interrailing for a month in the beginning of July. We came a bit earlier so we wouldn't waste our travelling time in London, because we all wanted to see it."

"Really? Me and my brother Emmett had planned the same thing. We arrived took a night flight from Seattle and arrived early in the morning."

"You're from Washington as well? We—"

"Bella! Our room is ready let's go!" Alice turned away from the receptionist, who seemed a bit exhausted after Alice's constant stream of questions concerning the room, the breakfast and a dozen other things that made me feel sorry for the poor girl working here. Alice glanced at the guy who had been talking to me and her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice you were busy." Her supposedly knowing grin irritated me a bit. This was not going to be one of Alice's oh-so-perfect-boyfriend-material-for-Bella cases.

"Alice, this is um…"

"Edward", the guy finished my hesitant introducing.

"Yeah, this is Edward. He and his brother are going on an Interrail like we are."

Alice's smile widened, if possible. "Wow that's great! Maybe we can travel together for some parts."

Jasper interrupted her further planning by dangling the keys to our room in front of her face. "I think we should get settled before we head out for tonight."

I silently thanked him with my eyes for distracting Alice. He was probably the only one who really had the ability. I stepped to my backpack and took a deep breath in before hoisting it on my back. The force it swung up nearly knocked me off my already poor balance and smashed me against the reception board. Thankfully Jasper had anticipated this and grabbed my arms to keep me steady.

"Caution, Bella. We wouldn't want to stay the entire month in London with you in a full-body cast", he said chuckling and began helping Alice with her backpack straps, which had gotten tangled due to the speed she had dropped it on the floor to get rid of it.

"Yeah, sure", I muttered a bit embarrassed of my eternal clumsiness deciding right then and there to be extra careful during the next four weeks, just to keep things as smooth as possible. I started towards the stairway, seeing that Alice and Jasper were still busy with their luggage. From the corner of my eye I saw Edward following me to the staircase. I turned my head to continue our earlier conversation, but I should have known it wasn't too wise with my two left feet.

As soon as I whipped my head to the side, I felt my balance change. The backpack I was carrying was indeed heavy and when I wasn't leaning forward, the backpack started to pull me down. I yelped and tried to regain my stepping by waving my arms frantically. With my luck, I didn't even expect it to work. I heard Alice scream my name as I toppled down from halfway up the stairs, where I had managed to climb.

I crashed sideways on the floor, but to my surprise my landing wasn't as painful as it should have been. I opened my eyes and noticed why. I was lying on top of Edward who had unsuspectingly been walking up the stairs behind me. I blushed red. _What a great way to get to know people Bella, just keep that going and you'll have handicapped half of Europe before your ticket expires,_ I though bitterly to myself as Jasper ran to us starting to help us up.

"Edward, are you okay man?" Jasper had been in the same situation as Edward a few times also, because of me, so he knew how he was feeling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A bit surprised though. I guess I'm not used to girls pouncing on me just yet." He was rubbing his gut, which I had probably punched with my elbow.

Alice giggled at his response. "You might want to get used to it Edward, if you plan on seeing us again."

"Yeah I probably learned not to walk behind Bella in stairs after the fourth time", Jasper chipped in the conversation. I had the feeling my clumsiness might be a popular topic if we ever met Edward again.

I huffed at my friends and walked to the stairs again. Before I reached them, I felt a hand on my shoulder stopping me. It was Edward.

"Perhaps I should carry your luggage, just to be safe." I saw he was trying to help, but the amused grin didn't really help with my mood.

I slumped in defeat and shrugged the backpack off. "Fine", I grumbled. "Go ahead."

When we reached the room me, Alice and Jasper were staying at, Jasper had already told Edward the most embarrassing stair incidents I'd had. Alice had giggled the entire time and even I smiled when he told, in detail, how I had been the maid of honour in Alice's fake wedding and walked down the staircase in Alice's house, only to trip over my too-long dress and fall on Jasper, who had been the groom, and pushed us both down, making Alice's Mom drop the 'wedding' cake on top of us. We even had a picture of it; Jasper and I covered in whip cream and Alice sobbing over her spoiled wedding.

Edward was still wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes when he gave me my backpack. I took it scowling slightly for laughing at me.

"Oh come on! Like you wouldn't laugh at something like that if it would have been Alice."

"For your information, I would never be found with wedding cake on my face, unless it was a new facial", a high voice drifted from the room, where Alice was already getting settled.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later", Edward said to me and Jasper. "Bye for now. Bye Alice", he yelled so that Alice would hear her and with that, he marched off to his room.

* * *

"And can I just tell you, Jasper", I said in an irritated voice as I dragged my backpack next to my bed. "That I simply _loved_ the charming stories you told about me and stairs. Not!"

Jasper, who was lounging on the queen-size bed he and Alice were sleeping in, laughed at my anger. "Come on Bella, it was for keeping up conversation. You would have been too embarrassed to talk about anything after your trip episode. Besides, I basically saved you."

I snorted. "How so?"

"Well, think about it. Alice could have started the conversation and told about the time when you fell down in the stairs after Biology and crashed into Mr. Pardy, who had a box of dissected frogs in his hands."

"Yeah, that was nasty. Thank God I had the extra shirt for you, those entrails smelled disgusting", Alice's comment came as a mumble from the bathroom, where she was soaking her feet in hot water.

I groaned at them and opened my backpack, searching for my battered copy of Pride and Prejudice with the idea of possibly being able to relax a while before heading out. What surprised me, though, was the contents of my backpack. Lying there, right on top was not the book, as I had thought, but a bunch of things that didn't belong to me. A Hair-straightener, a pair of high heeled sandals, a few tops and a forest green, silky night gown. My suspicions pointed straight away towards a small pixie-ish friend of mine, going with the name of—

"Alice!" I called out, trying my best to keep my voice normal. I grabbed the stuff in my arms and walked to the bathroom. Alice was leaning on the tile wall, her eyes closed and her feet in the tub.

"Mm?" Was the only reply that indicated she'd heard me.

"Look what I found from my backpack, instead of the book I had packed."

Alice opened her left eye slightly twitched a bit, but held her composure with a little effort. "What? I have never seen those in my life. All though, they're really stylish."

"So you have never seen these?" I made sure, hoping Alice wouldn't see where this would lead.

"No." Her voice was way too innocent.

"Well, I'm really not going to wear these, and if you don't recognise them, I might just throw these out. I don't really want to carry these around in Europe." I let my voice trail as I walked out of the room.

That certainly put some life into my best friend. She was running behind me before I reached my bed. "No Bella!" She looked a little ashamed.

"Okay, I put them into your backpack when I came over last night. I just couldn't fit them all into my backpack. I thought you wouldn't mind."

"You just thought I'd love to carry your things around? What are you even going to do with a hair-straightener?"

"Well duh, the things aren't all for me. The straightener is for you. I have to make sure you're presentable. And of course I'll share all the clothes with you. You can even wear the sandals even though their really good ones."

"And what about the book?"

"Well, it didn't fit when I added the stuff. Besides, you've read the tattered old thing about a thousand times. I think you'll survive for a month without it."

A knock on the door interrupted what would have been a vehement answer to defend Pride and Prejudice. Jasper, who had stayed quiet for our quarrel, went and opened the door.

"Hey Edward, what's up?" Jasper was evidently glad to see someone non-bickering.

"Not much – yet. But Emmett has big plans to go see a pub tonight. Apparently a friend of his – Rosalie – knows a good one. She's a Londoner. And after I told about you guys, we both wanted you to come and join us."

We looked at us but didn't even have to discuss it.

"Sure Edward, we'd love to go!" Alice squealed.

"Perfect. Lets meet in the lobby in fifteen, okay?" He looked at us, his eyebrows raised.

"That's perfect." I answered for us all.

Edward nodded and left us so we could get ready.

"Bella, you aren't mad at me are you?" Alice asked in a tiny voice.

I couldn't really stay mad at her, never could. And when she added her infamous pout I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Alice, you're forgiven. But just for the stunt you pulled, I get to wear what I want tonight."

Alice grudgingly agreed and after fifteen minutes we exited our room; me wearing a pair of black Acne jeans and a simple white tank with a blue hoodie in case it got cold. Jasper was about as casual as me, but Alice had of course dressed to charm – a jean mini skirt and a black tube top. We made our way down to the lobby to meet our friends.

* * *

They were already waiting for us. Edward was the only one I recognised with his messy, bronze hair and tall, lean figure. There were two others standing with Edward that had to be Emmett and Emmett's new acquaintance Rosalie. Emmett was tall like Edward but with more muscles and a curly hazelnut coloured hair. He was currently laughing at something Rosalie had said which made his brown eyes light up and his smile widen.

Rosalie completely blew my confidence – if there ever had been any – away. She was tall, about 5'9" and she was gorgeous! Her long blonde hair reached her lower back and when she heard us coming, she looked up and I could see the bluest eyes one could imagine. I was suddenly very self conscious and afraid to go anywhere in such company.

"There you are! Jasper, Alice, Bella; this is Emmett, my brother, and Rosalie." Edward introduced us.

After polite nods and how-are-you's we headed out.

"Rosalie knows this great pub just round the corner", Emmett informed us, but still kept looking at the model-like girl next to her.

Rosalie smiled at us all. "Yeah, it's really traditional as far as pubs go. You'll see."

And she was right. The pub was everything a pub was supposed to be. The bar made of dark wood dominated the small space. It had high bar stools with red upholstering around it for sitting but some booths circled the walls as well. There was even a placket that confirmed the place had been up and running since 1634! The only thing that broke the traditional theme was a huge plasma screen that showed a soccer game. About twenty men were all watching the game with beer pints in their hand. They were also the only other customers.

"You chose a pretty bad day to arrive. Tottenham is playing Arsenal today." Rosalie looked at us and saw we hadn't gotten her nonchalant explanation.

"Oh, I keep forgetting you aren't from here. See football, or your soccer, is huge in Britain. And Tottenham and Arsenal have a really…competitive fan base. I know some Tottenham fans who never wear red nail polish, because it's Arsenal's colour."

"Oh my God! What do they take when they have a manicure?" Alice's horrified scream made a few men wearing red tees and scarves turn around frowning. I guess Rosalie wasn't joking. I had seen Charlie's addiction for years, but somehow it didn't have the same intensity as these guys had.

We quieted down after that and settled in one of the booths. We all ordered Guinness, per Rosalie's recommendation. It wasn't too bad, but after that one Alice and I settled for Dr. Pepper. The middle-aged woman, who was working the bar tonight, was extremely fidgety. She brought our drinks in a rush and kept glancing at the football fans every now and then.

"You'll see", Rosalie said simply, when Jasper commented this.

We all took turn to explain our back rounds and travel plans, while the others asked questions. I learned that Edward was about to attend Seattle University as well and that Emmett already went there. Rosalie in turn told that she actually lived well outside London but that she lived in her relatives' bed and breakfast every summer just to shake things up. Even though Emmett and Rosalie had only met today, I could tell there was something going on. I looked at Edward meaningfully and nodded towards the pair of them. He rolled his eyes and smiled back. When Rosalie and Emmett talked together, we others joked around, telling stories about our lives. I managed to guilt Alice into not telling the 'hilarious' frog entrail story by reminding her of my poor old Pride and Prejudice.

Our chattering was interrupted by a loud 'Bloody Hell!' and a sound of glass breaking. Our heads snapped in the direction only to see the crowd glued to the plasma screen all swearing loudly. One of them had smashed his pint to the flood in disappointment. The desibel level had risen during our talk without me even noticing it. I looked at the barmaid feeling sorry for her when she started to clean up the mess, trying to steer clear from the furious Arsenal fans.

"And this is why you rarely go to a pub on a game night if you can help it." Rosalie said calmly, sipping her root beer.

It seemed really stupid to me how grown men could be so hostile over a game that happened every year, and as I watched the others' expressions they seemed to think so too. None of us dared to say anything though. It seemed too hazardous to point it out at the moment.

We stayed at the pub until the game ended in Arsenal loosing 2-1, talking about everything imaginable and starting to plan tomorrow. When the disappointed Arsenal fans left, cursing loudly at 'Tottenham's rotten last minute luck' and 'no-good offence' we decided it was our cue to leave. The owner seemed desperate to get everyone out so she could rest her poor nerves. Right after we had crossed the threshold she locked the door and put a closed sign on it – two hours before the actual closing time. I guess soccer really took its toll, whether you played or not.

When we got to the bed and breakfast, only Rosalie was feeling energetic – probably because she hadn't woken up in the crack of dawn and flown several hours. We all decided to meet again tomorrow to spend a day in London. We all headed upstairs, except for Rosalie and Emmett, who had decided to keep her company for a while.

"I hope I'm not loosing my company before we even start", Edward smirked at his brother's actions.

"Well you can always head out with us if Emmett prefers a blond, hot girl to you." Jasper said teasingly earning a tired smack from Alice.

Edward just chuckled. "I guess we'll see how it goes. Well, good night everyone."

I looked at his friendly expression and was truly glad that I had decided to talk to him in that reception. "Good night Edward", I said and walked to my room, closing the door behind me.

* * *

**Okay, that was that****. It turned out to be longer that I thought so it took a bit longer to write. Next chapter is their day in London. I have a general idea on what they'll do, but if you have a great idea, please share!**

**Oh, and review, so I know if I'm heading somewhere. It takes about a minute. You know it'll cheer me up!  
**


	4. London

**Hello everybody! Than****ks for the reviews, and alerts, I really liked the ones I got. **

**I really feel bad, 'cause I have been neglecting fanfiction and this story shamelessly. I just had the most hectic week since last July and haven't even opened the computer for three whole days! ****And now I'm sacrificing my first morning off for weeks to write this one…(You'd better appreciate this…) I'm trying to update at least one chapter more before I go on holiday and visit my sister. I'm letting her read this then, hope she likes it.**

**I don't usually put particular songs that I listened but now I have to. I just wrote 'groaned to myself when I realised it was only seven thirty'**** and was listening to Mcfly's Room on the Third Floor and Danny sung 'woke up early, round seven thirty'!!**

**So listen to Room on the third Floor by Mcfly!**

**But now, on with the story.**

Chapter 4 – London

BPOV

I woke up early considering that it was even earlier in the States. I lifted my head groggily from the cushy pillow and groaned to myself when I realised it was only seven thirty. I fell back against the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of nothing particular but also everything at the same time. Thought after thought drifted by without me giving it more attention. I usually did this when I was agitated and wanted to sleep, but this time it didn't work as I had hoped.

Alice and Jasper were still sleeping, Alice curled into a small ball, cuddling against Jasper. I chuckled silently at them, because that was how Alice always slept with Jasper. She would never move even an inch. But when she and I would have a sleepover, I never even considered sleeping with her in the same bed. When Alice sleeps without Jasper, she kicks with her feet and tosses and turns around every five minutes. I had found myself on the floor enough times, my legs bruised, before I had demanded my own mattress even though Alice had a queen-sized bed. Jasper and I often laughed over her changing sleeping manners and Alice would always huff and accuse me being in the way of her vivid dreams.

I, on the other hand, never moved but did something much worse. I talked. Every time after I had spent the night at a friend's place, they would tell all the weird things I had mumbled, laughing and joking at the breakfast table. It wasn't something I could just control and I was already expecting some terrible new embarrassment stories from this trip, if we ever slept on a train. Every backpacking kid in Europe would know me as 'the sleep talking girl on our train to Rome' or something similar…

I noticed that my getting back to sleep had been a bust, since I was currently wide awake. Thinking about embarrassing myself asleep apparently didn't help me sleep. I got tired of lying on my bed and decided to get up. Breakfast would begin at eight so I would be just in time. I quickly rose out of bed and walked to the bathroom to change and get cleaned up for the day.

I walked to the lounging area downstairs ten minutes later, only to meet Edward there, reading a newspaper from this morning.

"Good morning Edward." I greeted him cheerfully. "Are we the only ones up?"

He smiled and laid the paper down. "Morning. Yeah, I would think we are. Emmett came in much later than the rest of us, so he's still sleeping."

"Oh, so he spent some time with Rosalie last night."

Edward just winked in response. "We'll have to see what happens between the two of them. Rosalie seems just the type who can handle Emmett. What about Alice and Jasper? Didn't you wake them up?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm actually surprised Alice wasn't up yet. She's usually the one to jump on my bed every school morning so she can dress me as she pleases. It's a nice change to pick your own clothes. That must be why I let her sleep today."

Edward looked at my simple jeans, white tee and blue hoodie combo. "Well, I think you managed just fine without her."

"You would think so, but I'll bet you five dollars that Alice finds something wrong with this."

We shook hands on it and then headed for breakfast. My eyes grew wide when I saw all the food available on the table. Edward chuckled at my surprise and guided my stunned form towards the plates. I grabbed one and after realising I was extremely hungry, I started piling food on it; fresh rolls, cheese, scrambled eggs, pancakes…

Edward looked at my full plate, flashing his trademark smile at me, his eyes glinting amusedly.

"Don't say anything." I warned him.

"Wasn't gonna."

"It's the London time messing with my system."

Edward just rolled his eyes at my excuses and dug into his own pile of food. We didn't talk too much while eating, each of us too hungry to socialise. We had both wolfed down out portions and were tending our full stomachs when Alice, Jasper and Rosalie stepped in. They came to sit in our table after getting food. Alice's eyes scanned my outfit disapprovingly.

"Bella, why are you wearing something like that for your first full day abroad?"

"Well Alice, I decided to be smart and choose something I could actually enjoy London in, without being afraid to smudge or ruin it. And by the way Edward, you owe me five dollars." I reminded him. He chuckled and handed me a neat bill worth five dollars.

"But could you at least wear some decent shoes. Those sneakers of yours are terribly worn out."

"Excuse me if I don't want to risk getting blisters, since we're going to walk a lot today." I retorted, though I knew from experience that reasoning with Alice would not often work.

Alice was about to argue, but was stopped by Jasper who stuffed a spoonful of Cheerios in her mouth. Edward took advantage of the silence and asked Rosalie about our day.

"Well, I don't really know what you want to do. But since it's your first time here, I figured some regular tourist stuff at first. Like Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. And of course shopping", she added after seeing Alice's face.

Alice calmed down considerably after shopping was included in our plan of action. They finished eating and we headed back to our rooms to get ready. I was mentally preparing myself not to let Alice talk me into a pair of heels that would have my feet full of blisters.

"I better wake up Emmett so he can eat some breakfast before we leave. What on earth did you do to him Rosalie, he's worn out."

Rosalie blushed slightly at Edward's hinting comment and glared at him. "Oh, shut up."

Then she turned to us. "Be ready to leave in an hour, it's going to be a long day. Oh, and it would be good for all of you to wear something warm, it might be rainy today."

* * *

"Can we go shopping already? We've seen the most important sights already." Alice was growing impatient with our tourist behaviour and was dying to raid Harrods from all the expensive clothing they had.

We had started exactly in an hour after breakfast and it was now five hours later. Rosalie's expert knowledge had guided us through Madame Tussauds, Big Ben, the London Bridge and Buckingham Palace. We did all the silly tourist things anyone could expect – photographing each other with Napoleon, Harry Potter and the Beatles, trying to make the guards laugh…(The latter failed miserably, but at least we had fun doing it.)

"Sure. Where would you like to go? There's Harrods, of course, and Knightsbridge. But I'd personally recommend Covent Garden or Oxford Street. You get more variability in shops and there are some really nice little cafés and restaurants in both." Rosalie's flood of information had me stunned for a while, but Alice seemed to know what she wanted.

"Oh! Can we visit all of them? Please?" She was literally bouncing.

"Alice it's already four pm. With your rate of shopping we'd be done after midnight."

"Okay then. Let's just visit Oxford street this time." She seemed happy with her conclusion.

"This time?" Emmett chipped in the conversation, picking up the line I had been dreading.

"Well, we might not have time this time round, but we come back after a month, right? And we can spend all the time we want in here."

That cleared up everything – Emmett's confusion and my hope of not having to shop much.

We rode a bus, one of those traditional London double-deckers, to Oxford Street. Alice immediately saw a designer store she liked and speed-walked towards it me in tow. Everyone else followed a few feet behind. I just glared at them for letting her take me; that was all I could do without falling to the ground – even without high heels. Knowing that this would go on for hours straight, I settled for my destiny small, uncomfortable dressing rooms and dozens of clothes I had no interest of carrying around Europe.

After two similar shops the boys had lost their interest and even the I'm-just-being-polite-when-can-we-leave interest. (I had lost it too, but I was in no position to argue. I had agreed to shop with Alice if we were to go on this trip.) We agreed to meet the boys for something to eat in three hours.

In my opinion, the clock couldn't move fast enough.

Finally we entered the quaint Italian restaurant Rosalie had recommended for delicious food, but affordable prices. The boys were already sitting at a table. We sat down – after stuffing the ridiculous amount of shopping bags under the table – and started to inspect the menus. I chose mushroom ravioli, which sounded delicious, and turns out it really was.

I wasn't even half finished when I was completely stuffed. Fortunately Emmett was hungry enough to eat the rest of my portion too. We sat in the table for a while even after we had finished eating. Suddenly Emmett cleared her throat.

"You guys", he said looking at Alice, Jasper and me. "I have only known you for a day, but I feel like I've known you for years. I'm really glad I can trust you."

We looked at each other, completely baffled.

"Hey Em, where's this coming from?" Edward seemed as puzzled as us.

Emmett looked at Rosalie for help, and kept shifting his gaze from her to Edward, looking guilty. "Okay, here's the thing, Edward. Rose and I have really gotten to know each other well and I would really love her to join all of us for our backpacking experience. I talked about this with Rose and she'd also love to come. So…what do you think?"

"Well, I like it a lot! Finally a shopping partner who doesn't have to be forced into a dressing room!" Alice gave her opinion, squealing. "This is going to be great!"

I also smiled at Rosalie to let her know it was fine by me. Edward still hadn't said anything. I watched him as he looked his brother in the eyes for a long time and then nodded to himself.

"Rosalie, welcome aboard. It good to have you with us."

Emmett smiled happily and kissed Rosalie on the cheek. "Rose still has to organise some things in London and get her ticket, so we won't be able to join you guys at first. But we'll be there in less than a week. Is that okay?" I could sense he was worried about Edward.

Edward nodded. "Emmett, I'll be fine. I'm only younger by a year, so no need to go all big brotherly on me." They grinned at each other.

"Well, you guys have to leave early to catch the boat in the morning. I still think we need to make one more stop tonight." Rosalie said, not revealing our final destination for today. We took the bus again and drove along the Thames. I was gazing at the stone buildings absentminded when my eyes caught on something. Something huge and round. The London Eye. Alice and I both squealed this time. Jasper, Edward and Emmett looked awed. Rosalie just smiled at our reactions. "I heard the best way to see London and appreciate it is to see it through the Eye."

She led us to the ticket booth and paid us all in. There was no one else in our shuttle, which suited us just fine. When the huge Ferris wheel started turning, I got butterflies in my stomach. This was too good to be true – me in London with the best people imaginable. As the skyline of London at night came to view I gasped. All the buildings were brightly lit, especially the Houses of Parliament were glowing in the soft orange light. The streets were lit with lamp posts and tiny cars moving along the road. The Thames was dark, contrasting to the bright lights with it's smooth black surface that curved along into the distance. This was just perfect.

We were all too stunned to speak at first. When we reached the bottom again, Rosalie led us along the board walk towards our hotel. We were walking in pairs, I expected them to want some privacy. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett and then Edward and I keeping the rear.

"How did you like the day, Bella? I see your feet survived at least." Edward picked up the conversation after the long pause caused by the perfection of a view earlier.

I smiled. "I managed to convince Alice it's much easier for me to shop if I'm not falling down every second step. And as for the day, I had a lot of fun. The tourist stuff was great and shopping wasn't too bad with Rosalie there to take some of Alice's concentration off of me."

"Did you see everything you wanted, then?"

"Not exactly, I guess. I really liked the things I saw, but I just want to see so much more, you know? How 'bout you?"

"Hmm… I must also admit that today didn't completely fulfil my to-do list for London. But fortunately we have time before we head back to the States."

I was about to ask him what he had wanted to see still, but changed into another question after glancing at the new couple walking in front of us, hand in hand.

"How do you feel about your brother and Rose? You seemed to think really hard after he announced his plans."

"You're really observant, aren't you?" Edward looked at me, then sighed. "I'm fine, really. It just caught me off guard when he decided so suddenly. Emmett was always more of a player type. He never falls for girls, he just keeps them around. To see him with Rosalie, and act so differently…I guess I knew it was coming, it was just really sudden."

"I understand. But at least you can come with us tomorrow. You can fend all the museums in Europe with me and boycott shopping sprees." I turned the tone light, to make him laugh.

I worked. Edward laughed at my comment and opened the door to our bed and breakfast that we had reached without me noticing. We followed the others to our rooms. When we reached our door I turned to Edward again.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning at breakfast."

Edward nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'll see you then. I better go pack the rest of my stuff now; Emmett made a huge mess when he woke up today."

"Okay. Good night!"

I stepped into the room to see Alice folding her newly acquired clothes into her backpack and stuffing some of the old ones into a box she would send out tomorrow. Jasper watched his girlfriend's packing process from the safety of the bed.

I also packed my clothes and was ready for bed in about half an hour. Tomorrow was going to be an early wake up so we decided not to spend the entire night out and risk missing the boat. I set the alarm, even if Alice was likely to make up for her sleeping in this morning and wake everyone up even earlier than usual. I went to bed and this time my random thoughts lulled me to sleep in no time. My last conscious thought was the fact that I now had someone to fend for my museum obsession. I think the thought made me smile.

**That's it! I'm about to be late for school so I'd better go. Last day of school before I have a week off! **

**Please review, means a lot to me. I'll try to post the next chapter pretty soon. **

**-Isabella Juliet**


	5. Le Manche

Hey everyone

**Hey everyone! Thanks for your reviews. As I said, I really don't know London (yet) so my apologies if something went terribly wrong…**

**Yeah… here is chapter five****, as promised. I don't think I'll update too soon after this one. It might take over a week or so. **

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting this thing… don't hold it against me, my head forgets trivial things… Here goes – I don't own Twilight (except for the copy in my bookshelf.) **

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Chapter 5 – The Channel

EPOV

If yesterday had been drizzly and chilly, today was perfect. A bright, warm morning sun rose over London, drying the moist streets from last night's rain. We had checked out of our bed and breakfast and taken a train from London Victoria to Dover Priory. Emmett and Rosalie were naturally there so see us off.

"Now you kids be good on the ferry. No reaching over the banister. And don't throw anything over board. You see, if you do that, you will not get it back." Emmett said with his most patronizing tone.

"Nice one, Emmett. Speaking from experience?" I shot back while lifting my backpack to the train. "If I remember correctly, you were the one to flood the Caribbean ocean with stray footballs, snack papers and even your iPod when we last went on a cruise."

"Pfft, that was ages ago", Emmett replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"It was last year", I said from the side of my mouth to Bella standing next to me. She giggled quietly and hid behind a curtain of her hair to conceal her amusement from my brother.

The train was about to board so after quick hugs and pats on the back, Alice, Jasper, Bella and I climbed on the train and shouted our goodbyes to Rosalie and Emmett, who promised to meet us as soon as Rosalie was done with her arrangements.

We walked along the small aisle, trying to find some available seats. The time on our Interrail tickets had begun this morning, so this would be our first ride using them. Alice shouted out a cry of happiness as she pointed at the empty table on the train cart, and quickly ran over there, throwing her backpack on the seats so they wouldn't get taken. The rest of us were a bit more civilized in our walking.

"Alice, I can't believe you forced me into wearing a dress for a travel day!" Bella snapped at Alice in a slightly frustrated tone as she tried to settle herself in the chair, smoothing the hem of her tan sundress **(A/N: she can't always wear blue… lol)**, which reached her knees.

"Well, I can't believe I let you wander around London in a pair of dodgy sneakers, so there you have it! Think of it as a form of payback. Besides, the weather craves for some skin exposure."

Bella huffed, but seemed to except her being stuck in the dress. She started rummaging through her backpack and took out a brand new paperback. I cocked my head to the side to read the title.

"Bill Bryson?"

She noticed the amazement in my voice. "I know, it's not really a book I normally read, but come on. Have you read any of his books? They're hilarious. And I figured it would be appropriate since we're travelling in Europe."

"So what do you normally read?" I asked her while taking the book from her hands to examine it.

"I love the classics. Anything by Bronte or Austen and I'm sold. I've read all of them more times than I can count." I watched Bella's face light up and her eyes sparkle when she started telling about the books she preferred. Reading must be like an extreme addiction to her.

"…My absolute favourite is Pride and Prejudice. I read it dutifully once a month. It really doesn't get boring."

"What are you going to do this month? It's kind of a pain to drag tons of books around."

Bella's reaction made me wonder. She suddenly turned sharply to glare at Alice, who on the other hand was persistently staring out of the window. "Well, I intended to drag it along but someone needed more space for her clothes, and _accidentally_ removed it from my backpack."

Alice turned to look at Bella, pulling her face into a persuasive pout. "Bella, I said I was terribly sorry. Are you still mad at me?"

Bella flashed a wide grin at Alice. "Nah, not really. I just hate to think not being able to read it when I want."

Alice hugged Bella fiercely and they were totally okay after that. I looked at Jasper, raising my eyebrows. He chuckled at the two. "Alice and Bella never really fight, they're really good friends. So they occasionally make a huge deal of inconsequential things just so they can bicker and then make up. Trust me, I've heard them make an argument over much less than that."

I laughed at Jaspers answer and continued to chat with him about varsity football, mechanics and other things that might be considered 'guy stuff'. Since the girls were busy with reading – one with Bill Bryson, the other with the latest Elle – we continued our chat with Jasper until we were in Dover. I hadn't talked to Jasper that much before. I somehow had gotten the impression that he didn't want to be in the middle of a group discussion. But when I talked to him, I saw how much we had in common.

* * *

"Jasper's a really great character." I commented to Bella when we headed towards the harbour where the ferry to Calais left.

Bella smiled fondly. "He really is. We first got to know him when he moved to Forks from Austin. That was in eighth grade. Alice was supposed to tutor him, help him find his way around our tiny school. Well, Alice got impatient when Jasper didn't show up in time and when he did, Alice just walked up to him and said, 'You kept me waiting a long time'. Jasper, who has always been ever the gentleman, apologized politely. After that they were pretty much inseparable and they started going out when Jasper had been in Forks for about a fortnight."

"That's a lovely story."

"Yeah. Alice said to me later, that she knew from the first moment that they were meant to be. She just waited for a few days for Jasper to realize it as well."

I was still thinking about the story when we walked onboard the ferry. Alice and Jasper were incredibly lucky to find each other just like that, as it seemed to me. I wanted to believe that it would be that easy to find your other half, but years of going out with dim-witted, shallow girls had taught me not to believe in such luck. If there had been sensible, down-to-earth girls in our high school, I had missed them for sure. Emmett finding Rosalie had given me a certain amount of hope as well. If he found the girl, then maybe I would too. Who knows, she could be just around the corner…"

"Edward, where are you?" A laughing voice sounded from right next to me. Bella looked at me with an amused expression on her face. Apparently I had been thinking for longer than I thought.

"Are you planning on standing in the middle of the lobby for the hour and a half we have to spend on this boat? My back sure couldn't take it."

I rolled my eyes at her teasing and followed her to a group of armchairs where Alice and Jasper were sitting. I shook the backpack off of me and sighed contentedly as the heavy weight was no longer pressing my muscles. We sat down until the boat left the dock. Alice got seasick almost immediately after we started to cross The Channel – or Le Manche as the French called it. She curled up against Jasper and closed her eyes, while Jasper tried to make her feel comfortable. Fortunately she fell asleep pretty soon, so she wouldn't have to put up with motion sickness.

Meanwhile, Bella and I decided to head on the deck, since it was warm and sunny outside.

It wasn't terribly crowded outside – I suspected that other passengers had gone to enjoy the impressive selection of amusements on board. The deck was shining in the bright sunlight. We sat on one of the benches to watch the ocean view. The famous white cliffs were visible in one direction, on the other side the only thing you could see was open water. We had a small competition going on who would first see France, but in the mean time we talked about other things.

"Earlier…" Bella began a new subject. "Last night actually, you mentioned that you didn't see everything in London you wanted to. I was wondering what you missed."

"Hmm. Well, first of all, I think that we could have seen a museum, like Victoria&Albert. But I figured since we were there with Emmett, it might be foolish to the point of insanity to go to a place where you're supposed to behave."

Bella laughed at my comment. "I doubt that Alice would have been any better. The museum gift shop holds little to interest her greatly."

"True. What did you miss from our tour?"

"Besides museums? I think I would have liked to see a play at West End. Or a musical. Than it would have been incredible to visit Stratford-upon-Avon. I just adore Shakespeare. When we get back, I absolutely want to see some of those things."

"Maybe we can ditch the others one day and spend a really nerdy, touristy day in London." I winked at Bella. She smiled in response to approve of my plan.

Suddenly she jumped from the bench and pointed at the horizon. "There it is! There's France!"

Unfortunately she hadn't considered the wind that had picked up once we reached open sea. A gusty breeze caught her dress and set the hem flying up. It revealed her smooth legs before Bella frantically pushed the hem down and kept it there with her hands, sitting down carefully. A shockingly red colour invaded her cheeks, making her look even more flustered.

I felt sorry for her, because she seemed so embarrassed. I really didn't think of it as a bad thing, the legs I had seen were nothing to be ashamed of, but I could imagine how mortifying such a predicament could feel like. I decided to spare her from the embarrassment and ignore the whole thing, though I had an extremely hard time to hide my laughter. "It seems like you won our challenge. We still have about twenty minutes before we reach Calais. Do you want to go inside to check on Alice?" I kept my tone light to ease her situation.

Bella cleared her throat and stood up cautiously. We walked inside and found Alice and Jasper still in the same position we had left them in. We talked with Jasper quietly until he woke Alice up five minutes before arriving. People were already starting to gather to the exit, pushing each other in the tight crowd. We didn't really want to cram in there, since we had time to leave the boat so we calmly put our backpacks on and stood a bit further away.

When I helped Bella put her backpack on, she turned to face me with a serious expression. "Edward, I want to thank you."

"Why?" I smiled confusedly.

"For not laughing when… well, earlier, on the deck. It would have been really uncomfortable for me if you had, but you were really... Anyway, thank you for understanding."

"Bella, I wouldn't even imagine making you feel uncomfortable. I am happy that I was able to ease your embarrassment."

She smiled at me and looked me deep in the eyes. Before Bella started to walk towards the doorway that had cleared up from hasty tourists, she squeezed my hand and smiled one more time. Suddenly I felt that I had caught a glimpse of what could be waiting around the corner.

* * *

**That was Edward for you. It didn't come as naturally as BPOV; I really had to think at some point to make it right. If you had something bothering you, though, feel free to mention it. **

**Now, I know for a fact that more that four people read this story, so I would appreciate reviews. How about if we try to reach the 25 marker this time…? (Not too difficult, I hope)**

**Also for those of you who have visited Paris, What should I make Edward, Bella and the guys see? If you haven't visited France, you can write requests as well, I'm not discriminating.**

**Until next time,**

**Isabella- **


	6. Paris 1

**Yay! Happy Birthday me!! And a happy Saturday for you guys! ****I would have posted this chapter earlier, but I wanted to have the date right, and didn't have time to do to in the time of one…**

**Thank you for your reviews, you guys are amazing! I wished a bit more though…But you don't always get what you want right? **

**This next chapter is one of the Paris chapters…Yes, one. I haven't decided how many I want to have, but at least two. Paris is just too exciting to pass. Lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters**

Chapter 6 – Paris

BPOV

We decided to begin our stay in Paris lightly. After having taken our backpacks to our hostel, we went out to the city centre to walk about and watch the general atmosphere. I know they say that Paris in spring is the most beautiful thing, but I didn't think Paris in summertime was too bad either. It was still early July, so the trees and flower plantations were still looking fresh and luscious – not like in mid September when leafs just seem to wait for a chance of falling down.

Alice, Jasper, Edward and I had chosen our route to go through Tuileries Garden, a beautiful park with paths for walking and spectacular flower arrangements. It wasn't too full, since it was only noon and everyone was at work, but a bunch of tourists were walking along the paths, ogling at the white marble renaissance statues. Groups of teenagers had laid down a blanket and were having a what seemed to be a brunch on the emerald green lawn.

I dug around my purse and found the camera I had gotten for my eighteenth birthday **(A/N: just like me today!! Sorry, I'm just too excited…)** from Charlie. I didn't really want to seem too tourist-y, since I had heard too many stories of dumb tourists who get mugged in big cities, so I held it really nonchalantly and didn't only take pictures of the view, but of Alice, Jasper and Edward as well. I zoomed the lens to take a picture of Louvre when a great urge to walk in and spend a whole day in the large halls with all the art washed over me. Edward seemed to notice this. He leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"I know, I want to see it too. But not today, Bella. It's an all day thing and we would have to drag these two there as well." He pointed at Alice and Jasper laughingly. Alice stuck her tongue out at Edward's 'silent' comment but laughed after that, knowing full well that she wouldn't go to Louvre and knowing that we knew it too.

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early." I raised my eyebrows at Edward, confirming my question.

"Well stand there at nine AM sharp." Edward said solemnly. His crooked grin spoiled the tone a bit, though.

Alice and Jasper just rolled their eyes at our enthusiasm and started walking again. We ended up going to a street café on the edge of Concorde Square. The sheer size of the area would just blow you away. The high, narrow obelisk was glinting in the sunlight and you could see the wide start of Champs-Èlysées with the finely shaped lines of trees. I saw Alice gaze towards her Paris shopping paradise with longing.

"That reminds me, I think we should decide on some kind of a schedule for Paris. I know for a fact that Rose and Emmett will slaughter us if we go to the Eiffel tower without them."

"What reminds you?" Edward questioned me from my remark.

Jasper chuckled. "I must have been the fact that Alice hasn't heard a thing we have said for the last five minutes and can only see that street opening right there. Right Bella?"

"Yep."

We all continued to stare at Alice for a few minutes more, until she snapped out of it and saw us looking at her.

"What? Umm…I'll just have a Café au Lait and a croissant." We started laughing at her comment.

"Alice, the waiter is not here yet, and we were talking about our plan of action for Paris." Jasper pointed out, and ruffled her hair playfully. Alice smiled sheepishly, which was unusual for her, but so was her getting caught off guard. Even I, who had known this girl for ever, had surprised her only a handful of times, whereas she did it to me on a daily basis.

"Sorry, guys. I was caught up. Hey, there's the waiter now. I'm craving for coffee, are you?" Alice's rambling town was trying to lead the discussion away from her and the approaching waiter had given an excellent reason for us to not tease her.

"Bonjour." The waiter looked at us with a bright, startlingly white smile and an eager expression; I assumed was taught to them when they applied for the post. We all smiled in response and returned his good morning. When he heard the foreign accent he raised his eyebrow, which broke her friendly façade.

"Ah. Americans." His tone and expression showed clearly that Americans and foreigners for that matter was as welcome as parasites in his book. "What can I get you?"

We politely gave our orders and watched as he strode off towards the kitchen.

"Well, that was one nice Frenchman." Jasper said in a mock pleasant tone, which sent us all in a fit of laughter.

"Oh, come on Jazz, they aren't all terrible. For instance, everyone at the hostel were incredibly nice. And the lady we asked directions from was really polite and sweet." Alice defended the rest of the nation.

"Let's not let this one ass ruin it for the rest of the French folk." Edward suggested. He quickly shut up from further remarks when the ass in question came back with our coffees and croissants. He set the dishes down without a word and left as silent.

"Seriously, and we're supposed to tip this guy!" Edward exclaimed in frustration.

I shrugged. "Well, at least the coffee is good." I said having tasted my first French cup of Café au Lait. Alice nodded in agreement.

"I think we should forget about the waiter and concentrate on the big subject at hand. What are we going to do?"

"Bella was right about the Eiffel Tower. There's no possible way we can go there without Rosalie and Emmett." Edward agreed with my point from earlier.

"And I guess tomorrow you and Bella are disappearing to Louvre for the day." Jasper quipped in the discussion.

"It does close before seven PM." I said, flipping through the pages of the travel guide I had taken from the hostel lobby before we left.

"Which means we have the evening tomorrow and an afternoon and evening today." Alice counted. "When are the others coming?"

Edward frowned. "I think they'll be here either late tomorrow or early the next day. I'm not sure how long Rose's arrangements will take, but no longer than a day. Of course, there's never a guarantee with Emmett…"

I laughed and shook my head at his add in the end. Emmett seemed just the type to slip from a plan if there ever was such a type. And with a beauty like Rose there to distract him…

"I think we should go to Champs-Élysées today."

"You know Alice, I'm not at all surprised to hear that…" I said rolling my eyes.

"Oh, come on! Even you can't say no to the most famous street in the world!" Alice exclaimed loudly, making a few heads turn.

"Even I want to see it Bella, so you might as well agree this time." Jasper said and broke my defence. He was always the sensible one of course. And I had promised to go shopping with her - within reason.

"Okay, but not forever, otherwise Rose will be mad for missing it. We also have to do something else today."

Edward immediately had a suggestion. "We could go on a boat ride on the Seine. I hear it's remarkable at night."

The rest of us agreed instantly. By that time, Alice was almost hopping off her chair, eager to go shopping. Having finished our coffees, we left the café, and left an almost nonexistent tip I might add. When we walked by the Square, I looked around once again. The fountain in the middle was rustling in a peaceful fashion, the water sparkling like diamonds.

"Terrible to think that this used to be the slaughter place of dozens of unfortunate souls." Edward commented, looking around as well. I shuddered when I thought about the Guillotine that had formerly operated where the handsome Egyptian Obelisk now stood.

"Come on you guys, I can't hold Alice back for much longer!" Jasper shouted from across the square, trying to slow down the tiny figure towing them both towards Champs-Élysées.

It was just about nine PM and we were currently walking onboard to a white riverboat that would take us on a night time cruise. This was to get a good view of the 'City of Light'. The sun was already setting, and the sky was tinted with beautiful hues of pink and orange all around the western horizon.

"Oh, it's so incredible", Alice gasped, taking out her digital camera and began snapping photos of the sunset, the general view and –of course – Jasper. After everyone wanting to come on board had done so, the boat set off. We had all decided on a tour without a guide. It just gives a better chance to view things with your own tempo.

I really liked the tour as a way to see Paris without too much strain. And heaven knows I'd had enough strain for today. Alice had dragged me along for hours – since Rosalie was missing – and I daresay we went through every single inch of Champs-Élysées. Edward and Jasper had politely bolted as soon as they got the chance, of course. Fortunately I had created a tactic to spare me from the effort of carrying her enormous piles of clothes around. I simply advised her to wait for Rosalie's arrival to make any serious purchases – supposedly to let her experience some of the shopping delights as well…At seven, we were finally back at the hostel, but only to freshen up and have a quick bite before we had to leave for the boat tour.

The tour showed all the great sights Paris is known for; the Pont Neuf Bridge, Norte Dame, Louvre, Les Invalides, Musee d'Orsay and naturally the Eiffel Tower. When we cruised past Louvre, I turned to Edward and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. He immediately understood.

"Bright and early, just as we agreed."

Alice, who was leaning against Jasper and the ship's railing, turned to us when she heard Edwards reply with an expression that never bode well.

"About that, I think you and Bella should share a room, if you plan on waking up at the break of dawn just to see some mouldy old paintings. I for one am not going to wake up because of that."

Earlier, we had divided the rooms so that Alice, Jasper and I shared one room and Edward would share with Rose and his brother once they arrived, so it wouldn't really be a problem for me to swap rooms for one night. I still didn't like the glint in her eyes, the glint that showed me she had something on her mind. And Jasper was nodding in agreement to Alice's suggestion, almost too eagerly.

"Oh I see how this is going. You two just want to make out without violating the treaty." I realised and 'accusingly' pointed my finger at the pair of them. "You should be ashamed." My giggles took away the seriousness I had hoped for. With a roll of my eyes I agreed to sleep in Edward's room, earning a huge grin from Jasper and a hug from Alice. Edward was confused. I explained him as the boat started to make its way back.

"Before we left for Europe, I made Alice and Jasper here make a deal to keep their hands to themselves whenever I'm sleeping in the same room. Alice knows that if they break their promise it's not a pretty sight."

"I know what you mean. Emmett has a small tendency to forget being sensible around girls. When we were on a trip to Mexico last year, I switched into another room after two nights."

I giggled. "You poor thing. And now you're sharing with him again."

"Apparently I'm sharing with you today. That should be interesting, Jasper mentioned that you have a habit of babbling in your sleep." Edward said with a grin.

A blush rose to my cheeks. "No! He didn't"

We were already walking out of the boat. I shot a deadly glare at Jasper, who was walking behind us.

"Yeah, like Edward wouldn't find it out in about an hour himself." Jasper said with a sarcastic tone.

I just huffed, unable to say anything witty back at him, because hey, it was true. I almost always talked in my sleep, and it tended to intensify when I was tired, which made talking tonight even more probable. I remained silent until we reached the hotel. I went to our room, took some necessary items with me and left for Edward's room. My irritation had lessened some during my packing so I was able to wish my best friends a pleasant night with a mischievous grin.

I knocked at Edward's door and he opened almost immediately. I stepped in an viewed the room; it was an exact copy of our room down the hall only with a blue colour scheme compared to our light green one.

"You can take one of those beds, they're still unoccupied. I'll just go take a quick shower if that's okay. Or do you need to go first?"

I turned to look at Edward, who was standing near the bathroom door with a towel in his hand. "Yeah, I could use a shower. I mean, if we're going to leave early, I doubt I'll be able to shower in the morning. But you can go first, I'm in no hurry."

"Are you sure? You can go first if you like." Always the gentleman.

"No, I'm sure. Now go!"

Edward nodded and closed the bathroom door. I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes. I was dead tired and my feet hurt. Walking around on paved streets all day can do that to you. I sighed in contentment when my legs finally got some rest. I heard the shower turn on and listened to its soft hum, how soothing it was. I sighed again and this time it turned into a wide yawn. I snuggled, trying to find a better position. Everything just felt so heavy…and…tired…and…

**So, here it is. It felt to me like I was rambling, was it rambling? I just didn't know how to stop their conversations, so blame it on those kids, not me! Lol…**

**Next chapter is Edward and Bella in Louvre.**

**Please Review! **


	7. Paris 2

**Hello gang!**** It's winter in Finland! We've had about four inches of snow in two days, so basically it's winter wonderland in here. **

**Thanks for the ****reviews; you made me crack up after what had been a terrible day. Some of you seemed disappointed that Bella wasn't incredibly excited about Edward in the shower. But Bella doesn't even know she likes him yet, so it's gonna take a while longer still. I hope this chapter can appease your kinky little minds, even a little… Lol**

**Here's the**** second Paris chapter, dedicated to my darling Groundhog, who was disappointed from the lack of shower action in chapter six. She gave me the idea for this one. So, dear Groundhog, this is for you, be happy! **

Chapter 7 – Paris 2

EPOV

"Bella, wake up", I called to the still-very-asleep Bella, who was currently lying on her stomach, cuddling the pillow. The only reply I got was an almost inaudible grunt. Well, at least it showed me she had awoken. I decided to try again.

"Bella, it's almost Louvre time." This and me stealing her covers certainly did the job. With the speed of light, she curled into a ball to brace herself for the colder air now that she didn't have her covers anymore.

"Edward—", she paused then and then asked me: "What's your middle name?"

I was puzzled. I was expecting a snappy retort and possibly a smack on the back of my head. "Anthony. Why?"

"Okay." Bella pulled in a deep breath. "Edward Anthony Cullen! How dare you wake me up like that? I could have gone into cardiac arrest because of your impolite habits! Don't you ever let me catch you doing that again!"

I actually backed a few steps, shocked as I was. Then Bella pulled her lips into a sneaky grin.

"That was for waking me up in an extremely unpleasant way."

She started laughing at my reaction to her screeching and it wasn't soon after that I was laughing with her. She truly was something else.

"Anyway…I thought you might want to take that shower you didn't have time for last night." I said, wanting to get us back on schedule. Bella noticed her attire then and smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I fell asleep. Ugh, I just hate sleeping in jeans, it's so uncomfortable."

I smirked, wanting to tease her. "I apologise for not knowing. Otherwise I would have removed them to make you at ease."

A faint blush rose onto Bella's cheeks after my comment. "I'd better take that shower now, so we can get going."

She quickly grabbed a towel and her overnight toiletry bag before heading to the bathroom. After a few minutes I heard the water starting to drop against the marble tiles. I started listening the uneven splashed, caused whenever Bella would move. All too soon I noticed that my thoughts had moved from the sounds of the water to the thing causing them.

"Stop it Edward, you just met her", I said to myself. It was not a good idea to imagine someone naked in the shower when you were going to spend the day with that person. Alone.

I decided it was too risky for me to stay in the room. Since I didn't want to go eat breakfast alone, I left the room to get a brochure of Louvre, so that we wouldn't be hopelessly lost in the grand palace. I practically ran out of the room, eager to get something else on my mind.

When I came back, Bella was nowhere to be seen, still in the bathroom I assumed. But at least not showering. I sighed deeply and went to my bed to wait for her. I was fiddling with the brochure in my hands when it suddenly slipped out of my hands and under the bed. Normally I would have left it under there, but since I had time on my hands…I rose from the bed and then proceeded to lay flat on my stomach behind the bed. I was just about to reach the brochure when a tentative voice stopped my movements.

"Edward?" Bella called from a small slit she had opened in the doorway.

I didn't dare answer. It was a bit embarrassing to emerge from under the bed like a five-year-old. So I lay still, almost without breathing.

"Oh good, he's still gone." Bella said to herself and opened the door wide. She strode right past my bed and to her backpack. She bent down and started to rummage through the contents. I gasped silently.

Bella was wearing only a towel. A very small towel that barely covered the essentials, not that I minded. At all.

I gaped at her open mouthed with wide eyes. Her hair that cascaded down her back and shoulders in damp waves. Her long, smooth legs that the towel seemed to enhance. The tiny torso that was hidden by the towel.

There was now way to get out of the situation without me totally embarrassing her. Besides, I was in no condition to stand up right now.

At that moment Bella stood up and started back towards the bathroom with a brush in her hand. When she reached my bed, the towel she had been holding up with one hand slipped away from her grip and pooled on the floor, not even a foot away from me. I fiercely bit my lip, biting back a groan. Was she trying to kill me? Lying on my stomach was already incredibly uncomfortable and she had to _drop her towel_ right in front of me?

"Dang it." Bella muttered, oblivious to my discomfort and even me being in the room, for that matter.

She reached for the towel, thankfully not kneeling down to grab it, saving me from exposure. And her as well. Then she proceeded to the bathroom and closed shut the door.

I let out the breath I had been holding and rolled away from under the bed. I knew Bella was coming out again, dressed this time, in a few minutes, and I couldn't be there when she did. Or I had to enter the room again, at least. I stood and up and took deep breaths, willing myself to calm down.

Then I went to the door, opening it as quietly as I could. I waited a few minutes in the hallway, earning a few odd glances from the other guests heading to breakfast. When I thought Bella might be decent, I opened the door, stepped in and banged it shut with a force I had seen only Emmett inflict on poor doors. Bella was already out of the shower, clad in a khaki coloured, flowy summer skirt and a blue tank top.

"Hey Edward, where were you?"

"I just went to get a brochure on Louvre. I figured we don't want to get lost."

She chuckled. "True. Are you ready for breakfast? We could leave straight after, if we take all our stuff with us now."

I nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me."

I grabbed my messenger bag from the bed. Bella also took her purse and a light long-sleeved shirt in case it got cold. Then we left to begin our day.

BPOV

On our way to Louvre, Edward and I continued the round of questioning we had started on our way to Calais. All though it was pretty early in the morning – for me at least – the streets were full of French people heading to work, old ladies gossiping away, while buying groceries, tourists having coffee in the many cafés. The city looked friendlier somehow, not as busy as it had done yesterday. When Edward and I walked past, some would lift their heads up and smile. There was of course no question of their motivation to do so: I was walking next to Edward after all.

The first thing we saw on arriving was the impressive entrance of the Louvre palace, the glass pyramid and a swarm of tourists already eagerly waiting for nine o'clock. I groaned.

"Look at them! We're never going to get in."

Edward contemplated for a moment and then winked at me. "Not necessarily. Come on, we'll be nonchalant about it."

He pulled my closer to the tourist jam by the arm. When we got closer, he slowed down and took the brochure from his messenger bag. He opened it up and started examining it, sometimes commenting on a picture of a painting.

"Yes, the Mona Lisa would be great to see, right Bella?" and so on.

I was baffled by his doing. Not until after a few minutes, when we were suddenly several feet closer to the door, did I understand why he was suddenly so engrossed in the tiny Louvre overview in his hands. By nine o'clock Edward had gracefully manoeuvred us so that we were nearly the first ones in line – and without even upsetting anyone.

When the doors were opened, he took my hand and quickly pulled me to buy tickets.

"Do we want to go on a guided tour? There's one starting now."

"No, I think we can manage on our own. I have years of experience in finding my way in confusing malls, trying to keep up with Alice. So I think we're good."

Edward smiled and offered his arm to me. "Well then, shall we begin, milady?"

I giggled at his antiques, but took the offered arm anyway. We walked in the large halls for hours, but it seemed like such a short time. The Egyptian exhibition, Ancient Greek and Rome, Renaissance…We looked at the sculptures and even watched a film about classical music in the large auditorium.

The part I expected the most was the most mind-blowing. When we walked to the room where Mona Lisa hung, we immediately met about half of the tourists that were waiting outside Louvre a few hours ago. They were all gathered around one portion of the room, unusually quiet. Some people standing at the back were reaching to their tiptoes to see even something, with no luck.

"Should we raise an alarm? Or do you have an idea on how we're going to even get a glimpse of Mona Lisa?" I turned to Edward, hoping he would have another killer idea. The one we used this morning was not likely to work again, especially with everyone so focused.

Edward shrugged. "Seems like we're here for the long run. Unless they move on their own, we haven't got much of a chance."

It turned out we didn't have to wait too long. The guide in lead stopped his endless droning about Leonardo DaVinci and Mona Lisa and led his group to ogle at a de Goya in the next hall. That left only a few people with us.

The Mona Lisa was truly amazing. It was actually not as impressively large as some of the other paintings or as stunning when first looking at it. The painting hung on the wall, looking really small and insignificant. Until you really started looking, that is. When I looked her in the eye, I couldn't look away. Her eyes followed me everywhere. Even when we were walking away from the painting and to another hall, her eyes seemed to follow, and it made me shudder, somehow.

"What was the best part, for you?" Edward asked me when we finally reached the outside world again. It was already late afternoon, almost five o'clock. We were walking through the Tuileries garden in search for a place to eat.

"I don't know." I was silent for a moment. "It's so hard to tell. As a whole, I liked the Ancient Greek exhibition. But Mona Lisa struck me the most…What about you?"

"Hmm…I must say I enjoyed the film extremely. But I have no complaints on the art side either."

"I figured you might like it. You seem more of a musical person to me." I commented his answer. I had noticed earlier that he had a habit of humming to himself whenever he thought no one was paying attention. "But still I thought you kept your cool really well. Not everyone can spend half a day in a museum if they're not even slightly interested. Hey, how about that café over there?" I pointed at an astonishingly empty café.

We walked in and ordered filled baguettes and a few bottles of spring water to go – the air outside was just too nice to stay inside. Besides, we had already spent the whole day hiding from the sunlight. Like vampires, as Edward so nicely put it.

Back in the park, we found a nice un-pooped section of grass near a charming fountain and well-trimmed floral plantations. We settled ourselves on the grass, leaning on a thick tree trunk and started to eat.

"Do you think Alice and Jasper will mind us eating without them?" Edward asked me at one point.

"Nah. They like some alone time as well. That's why they drove me to your place last night." I said winking. "I'd be surprised if they hadn't gone out eating already."

Edward settled for my answer. "What did you mean earlier, when you said you had me pegged as a musical person?"

I shrugged. "Oh, nothing really. I guess it was wrong of me to assume. I just hear you humming a piece of melody every now and then, and though that you had an interest in music. Why, do you?"

Edward blushed slightly. "You heard me?"

I put my hand on his knee, trying to comfort him. "Hey it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, you know tons of embarrassing things about me. Like falling down stairs and then on the boat…"

Edward snorted then, but quickly turned it into a cough. I wondered his reaction. I heard him mumble something like 'if you only knew', but I couldn't be sure.

After we were done eating, we fell silent for a while, talking very rarely, sometimes commenting on the day and so on. I leaned my head against the tree bark and closed my eyes. One moment it was silent, and then I heard a small voice nearby: Edward was humming a soothing melody again. I didn't dare look at him, and accidentally make him stop. It was really calm and so relaxing to just stay there after a few days of intense exploring. I could rarely do something like this with anyone. Alice was too eager to talk, which almost never consciously bothered me. But still, it was practically impossible with her. Jasper and I, on the other hand, rarely spent time just the two of us. And with Charlie, it was never this effortless.

Edward and I stayed in the same spot until the sun had almost set. When it was time to head back to the hostel, he rose from the spot and helped me up. We walked back in the same effortless silence. When we reached the hostel, I went to his room briefly to gather my stuff and then headed towards my room.

"Thank you for today Isabella. I had a good time being a nerd in a museum." Edward smirked in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Isabella? My my, aren't we serious today."

"I think today's activity calls for some sophistication."

"Well than, thank you Edward Anthony, for accompanying me to the museum. I shall see you tomorrow." I gave it my best 'adult' voice, while desperately trying not to laugh.

Edward chuckled at my tone. "Yes we shall. Good night."

I smiled and then walked to my room. It was still empty; Alice and Jasper must have gone out. I quickly got ready for bed, being totally exhausted from all the walking around. When I pulled the covers back, I gasped in surprise. There, lying on my pillow was a new, leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice. Holding my breath, I took the book in my hands carefully. I stroked the golden letters on the spine and then flipped open the first page. In an elegant, almost calligraphy-type handwriting was a dedication.

_To Bella,_

_As far as property goes,_

_I think one's favourite book is a must have when strolling around Europe._

_Let this remind you of the summer ahead._

_Edward_

I smiled, tears brimming my eyes. I blinked them away not wanting to cry because there was no reason to. Why should I cry over such a nice thing? To me, just the fact that Edward had listened and taken notice when I told that Alice had left my book home was so touching, so _nice_ that it totally made my day. I sat on the bed, completely stunned and flipped through the pages. Of course, Edward would know exactly how it felt like when you couldn't have your favourite thing around. He was the only person I knew that had it in him to do such a nice thing to someone he had only known for a few days.

I settled on the bed and searched the part where Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane. Just exited to have Pride and Prejudice in my reach again, I read on, not even checking the time. Every once in a while my thoughts would go back to Edward and I couldn't help it when a smile tugged my lips upwards. And, as a matter of fact, I didn't even want to keep the smile away.

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	8. Paris 3

Chapter 8 – Paris 3

EPOV

"Emmett, don't…I bet they're still sleeping since they haven't shown up yet."

I tried to reason with my brother, but something in the fresh sea air he'd been inhaling this morning and the fact that he loved having a laugh made my stopping him an impossible feat. I had already unceremoniously been woken up with a loud bang and a booming 'Greetings from London!' accompanied with Rosalie's giggles. And as it now seemed, Alice, Jasper and Bella were in for the same treatment.

Before he reached the door, Emmett turned to us with a finger over his lips. _Yeah, like we needed to be quieter_, I thought rolling my eyes at Rosalie, while she shook her head, smiling. Emmett rubbed his palms together, sneaked to the door and banged it open. I was able to glimpse through the doorway just in time to see the consequences of Emmett's loud surprise attack.

Alice, who had been curled up against Jasper, screeched a shrill scream and popped her head up so unexpectedly that Jasper was unable to dodge; her head hit his jaw with force. But Bella's reaction was even more drastic. She snapped awake with a gasp of surprise. Apparently she wasn't anticipating being so near the edge of her bed so she quickly found herself on the floor next to her bed. The book Bella had been reading reacted to her falling off the bed, following her and hit her in the face with a loud smack.

"Ah, Emmett. I see the boat to Calais survived your presence." Jasper said with a sarcastic tone, rubbing his jaw while I hurried over to Bella, to help her up. I lifted the book off her, noticing happily that it was the Pride and Prejudice I had bought her.

"Are you okay?" I asked giving her my hand.

Bella nodded briefly, pulled herself up with my help and turned towards Emmett with an annoyed expression.

"A bit early for a house call, don't you think Emmett?"

Emmett shrugged her comment off. "Pfft, Rosalie and I have been up for ages. It's time for you to do the same. Besides it's not that early."

Alice glanced the time then and shrieked. "It's almost ten! How on earth didn't you come earlier? We have tons to do today!"

With that she started to run around the room as if she were fast-forwarded. Occasionally she would say something to Jasper about hurrying up, grab some clothes, urge Bella to get ready…This continued for about five minutes, before Alice shut herself to the bathroom with a defiant bang. Jasper shrugged at our inquisitive looks.

"What can I say? Alice isn't one to waste time."

"Yep", Bella chipped in from her bed. "We'd better get ready. How 'bout we eat brunch in that corner café we were in yesterday? We'll meet you in ten."

* * *

After ten minutes, they actually did appear, Jasper still looking a bit tired, but the girls extremely presentable – thanks to Alice, I assumed. Bella was wearing a pair of short jean shorts with a black t-shirt. She had obviously convinced Alice to let her stroll around in flats, hence the black ballet flats on her feet. Bella was still ruffling her damp hair that threatened to wave out on her, as she had explained to me yesterday. I smiled at them.

"Are you guys awake yet? Jasper looks questionable…" I let my voice trail.

"Oh, shut it", Jasper retorted, trying to conceal a huge yawn.

"So, what are we doing today? My first day in Paris, I'm so excited." Rosalie squealed. Alice started squealing right along with her.

"Oh, we just have to go shopping today! I can't wait for you to see the new Chanel totes they just released! They're just too divine. And the summer line is much larger here, they even have those adorable eggshell halters!"

"I think Alice might be even more excited than Rose, to finally get agreeable shopping company." Bella chuckled next to me.

"I don't even doubt you." I said to her and than raised my voice to speak to everyone. "I think breakfast would be in order before you guys hit the mall."

We all agreed on that and left for the café Bella and I had eaten in yesterday, after our Louvre trip. It was considerably more crowded now as it had been and we were barely able to find a decent size table for all of us.

A waiter came to serve us then, a twenty something man with dark hair and heavily rimmed square-shaped glasses. He smiled at us warmly and came to stand next to Bella's chair.

"Bonjour! I'm Julian. What can I get you?" He said all this barely glancing at us, only having eyes for Bella. I watched her blush, but still smile warmly in return.

"I don't know about these other guys but I'll have a Latte, some orange juice and a French omelette." Bella said with a friendly tone, then looking at us. "What are you guys getting?"

After taking our orders, Julian left but not without giving Bella a wink and a rueful smile. I grimaced as I looked after him.

During breakfast Emmett and Rosalie told us about their time in London, and after that we told them about Paris so far. My eyes constantly wandered off to Julian staring at our table, or Bella to be precise. He would circle the table like a vulture, with that irritating smile on his face and wait for Bella to look up and notice his staring. He would then flash that stupid grin of his, making Bella blush each time more vigorously. She certainly wasn't used to that kind of attention. And I certainly didn't want her to be bothered with such. After we had finished, Julian came to give us the check. I snapped it from his fingers and quickly paid up, before he could start chatting again. But alas;

"So, did you enjoy your breakfast?" He asked, again with that sleazy grin.

"Yes, thank you. The omelette was to die for." Bella replied with a smirk.

"Yes_, thank you_, Julian. Here's the check for you. Have a pleasant day." I interrupted, trying to sound as polite as possible. I think I must've failed a bit when I saw Alice grin at me knowingly, lifting her eyebrow. I just ignored it. In stead I watched Julian give us a polite smile and walk away after one last look at Bella.

"See Edward, not all the waiters in Paris are impolite." Alice taunted me in a low voice when we left. But honestly, I wished that this one had been.

* * *

"Wow…" Bella said, tilting her head up as far as possible.

"I know…" Rosalie and Alice sighed in canon.

Several hours of shopping had been executed by Alice, Rosalie and a very unwilling Bella, and now we were standing in front of the Eiffel Tower – the thing we all had been craving to see since arriving. Of course, we had waited for Em and Rose to come as well so we could all see it together.

And there it was: 324 meters of iron, probably the most well-known sight in the entire world. We marched to the ticket booth with Emmett in the lead. He immediately started to examine the prices.

"Oh, look how much cheaper it is to take the stairs! Who would want the elevator anyway?"

He looked at Rosalie's raised eyebrows and her unbelieving stare.

"Excuse me, Emmett dear. Do you honestly think I'm walking a zillion stairs in this dress? Are you completely insane?"

I looked at Rosalie's dress and it truly seemed that she would have problems if she were to climb over 500 steps. Emmett sighed.

"Honey, I'll keep you safe from freaky perverts walking behind us. How about that?" He smiled in a way I knew for a fact he had practiced for hours in front of the mirror, just to get his way if needed. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'm counting on you, Em."

"Woohoo! The stairs it is. We need six tickets to the Eiffel tower via the stairs. Oh, and elevator tickets from second to third floor."

He paid up and gave us the tickets. "Did you know it's even cheaper if you're under 25? Are we lucky or what? Now, come on, I want to count the steps."

Rosalie took the lead when we started to climb the crowded stairway. Emmett followed her very closely, keeping his promise as it seemed. Alice, Jasper, Bella and I followed, me keeping the rear.

"Oh this is so lame, they've already counted them!" Emmett's whining rang from a bit higher up after fifty steps or so. And truly, someone had marked the step count on the wall. Jasper and I snickered at Emmett, who was apparently moping right now.

We had almost reached the first balcony when I heard some urgent whispering behind me. I turned around and saw a group of teenage boys craning their necks past me. I frowned when it suddenly hit me – they were staring at Bella's ass! I growled at them angrily. It made them look up all scared and fall back a few steps. I, on the other hand, took two steps at once to put me on the step immediately below the one Bella was using, to give them fewer chances to ogle at her. Honestly, the nerve these French guys had!

"Dude, don't think I didn't see that thing with the French dudes over there." Emmett pulled me aside when we were waiting for the elevator to the top floor after 'a zillion steps' we had climbed. "You obviously like Bella, so do something about it will you?"

Emmett did this sometimes. He tended to get all big-brotherly on me every time a girl was involved. And though I appreciated him looking after me, I truly hated it sometimes.

"Emmett, it's not as simple as that. I'm not sure if I really, really like her. And I certainly don't know if she likes me."

"That's total bullshit Eddie-boy, and you know it. You like her, it's as simple as that." And with that he walked away to the elevator, which had arrived. I followed them all in. I pondered Emmett's words. The thing is that I _was_ starting to like Bella. At least, I was pretty sure I was. But we had never discussed things like that in our otherwise thriving conversations. I didn't even know if she had a boyfriend.

The elevator doors popped open and let all the passengers walk out of it to the top balcony, about 300 meters in the air. Our group suddenly paired up all around the balcony edges, leaving me and Bella alone, looking at the darkening park below us.

"It's so beautiful, worth climbing all those steps." Bella sighed

"I know, and you didn't even fall once." I teased her.

Bella looked around, locating our friends in different corners. Both pairs were hugging. She sighed again.

"It's so romantic in here, especially after the lights are lit."

"I agree." I paused for a moment then, but decided to take a big leap. "Too bad your boyfriend couldn't come with you." I didn't dare look at Bella, so I fixed my eyes on the glistening Seine on my right.

"Umm…My what?" Bella stammered, I could almost hear her blush. "I don't have a boyfriend."

My spirit soared up, more so than it probably should. "Oh…" But then my courage failed. "The view looks so amazing from up here, huh?"

From my peripheral vision I saw the curious glance and a slight frown Bella gave me before answering in a normal tone. "Yeah, I know, I guess it's almost too good to be true."

I spent the rest of our time there prattling about inconsequential stuff, and dodged every single subject that would lead us to the awkwardness I had brought. Bella seemed fine, though, and answered in the same light manner she had done earlier today. Still, something seemed odd, out of ordinary. But I was not quite brave enough to deal with it now.

"You guys, I think we should get going, the last elevator down leaves in five." Jasper announced. He and Alice were already beside the elevator. "We could go grab some dinner, you know, eat out?"

"Uu! And discuss our plan of action." Emmett added.

We took the elevator all the way down, since Rosalie right out refused to walk the stairs back down, vehemently defended by Alice, who looked a bit tired due to all her walking today. Jasper spotted a nice, quaint little restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. It was like all those restaurants in old French movies, with chequered tablecloths, candles and accordion music played by an old man wearing a beret.

"So fellows", Emmett began after he had received a steaming plate of ravioli in front of him. "Where are we heading next?"

* * *

**Phew, that was that. It took me so much longer than I thought, to get enough inspiration to write this. I'm sorry for the updating brake. I'm currently in the middle of a hectic end of the year so updates can be a bit scarcer. **

**I know what will make me write faster, though….Yeah, you know it – reviews! This story has gotten over 1900 hits, so I'm expecting some reviews. More than I can count on my fingers, if you please? **

**Isabella Juliet**


	9. Germany

**Hello again! I have just had the most hectic ****three weeks ever. I'm sorry for not updating, but just so you know, it might be less frequent for a while. Since it's my last year of school, I've got to study a bit harder that usual, so no hanging on the computer for hours…:D **

**I had to write this chapter again, I wasn't happy with it. I'm still not sure how it turned out, let me know if you like it, okay?**

**Thanks a lot for you reviewers: XxBlue-Eyed-BellaxX, gh, chloeeleanor, RUTryingToIrritateMeToDeath, twilight obsession**

**You keep me happy! **

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Chapter 9 - Germany

BPOV

Gare du Nord was packed! And I mean packed in the worst possible way. A train from Belgium had just arrived with a swarm of people rushing people emerging from it. The echoes of different announcements of departing trains and changes of schedule rang loudly through the high stone halls. And to top that all, dozens of pigeons wobbled around in people's feet, occasionally spurting up with their grey wings, frightening all passers-by. Alice was the only one of us, who constantly ducked at the sound of fluttering wings.

"Alice, they're pigeons, not missiles", I said after she had straightened out almost sending an elderly man toppling over due to her sharp movements.

She glared at me, adjusting her backpack. "Jeez, Bella. I wouldn't have figured that out by myself. But for your information, these things can poop on you, and that's almost as bad as a missile."

I quickly turned my head to the front, where Emmett was leading the way, making a good-sized path for us to follow and smirked at my pigeon-fearing friend. Of course Alice would be worried about her designer shirt she had just acquired. A full package of Alice's clothing was already on its way over the Atlantic Ocean to Forks, Washington. Her backpack could only hold limited supplies of clothes, after all.

We stopped in front of the gigantic board with arrivals and departures.

"If I'm reading this correctly", Emmett mumbled to himself, then turning to us. "And I'd like to think I am…Then our train would be leaving in twenty minutes. Platform seven." He turned to us with a mock-parenting expression. "Chop chop now, kids. Let's get a move on."

He grabbed Rose by her waist and pulled her with him to lead the way. Edward and I followed with Jasper and Alice, chuckling to each other. Edward leaned closer to whisper in my ear.

"Emmett is taking his authority very seriously…" His breath and the chuckle that followed tickled my neck.

I nodded at his comment and rolled my eyes at Emmett's charade. Edward had told me about his habit of acting like a big brother, especially on unsupervised trips, when truly he was the biggest goofball you could find.

Our train was already on standby when we arrived on platform seven. Since our Interrail tickets really didn't have assigned seats, we could avoid the hectic running-to-the-right-seat –rumble and so we stayed outside for a while.

When we only had about five minutes left, I turned to Alice and gave her a tight hug. She squeezed me back just as hard, with her hand smoothing my hair.

"Aww Bella, it's not like you won't see us again in a week or so. Besides…" She whispered quietly in my ear, "I bet you'll enjoy your current company just as much."

I huffed, feigning hurt, and swatted her shoulder before moving along to hug Jasper.

"You take care of her. I don't need to hear that Alice has been arrested for staying in boutiques over hours." I said loud enough for Alice's ears, earning a chuckle from Edward, Rose and Emmett, who were listening to our goodbyes.

"Always do, Bells", Jasper murmured, returning my hug.

During our dinner from the previous night, we had all unanimously agreed, that it was time we left Paris. A month is a too short a period if you want to see everything necessary, which meant that lingering should be kept to an absolute minimum. The destination however had been a struggle to decide. In the end, Emmett and Rose wanted to go through Central Europe, while Alice and Jasper wanted to see southern France, so it was inevitable that we couldn't travel as a group.

Edward and I neither had a solid plan as to where we wanted to go next. But when I said I wanted to see Central Europe as well, Edward tagged along with me. It was a relief, to be honest. Originally when we started planning this trip in April, I was supposed to see parts of Europe myself, but I felt so much more comfortable to have someone to travel with. I mean, all the things that could happen, especially to a young girl, when travelling alone...And for that person to be someone like Edward, who was probably the only one of our bunch who shared my cultural interests, was truly a streak of luck.

I turned towards the train, still a bit emotional from my goodbyes with my two best friends.

"We should probably go inside soon, it's about to leave. After clambering on board, I looked at Alice and Jasper, standing next to each other on the now nearly empty platform. I could feel my eyes tear up.

"Bella, enough with the waterworks", Alice teased me lightly, although her own eyes weren't completely dry either. "This is supposed to be fun! Go, and have a good time. We'll call on the way, and set up a meeting place."

I laughed and willed myself to get it together. "Sure thing. Bye!"

I stayed by the door, staring out, until we had efficiently left the platform. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, concern in his voice.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's not like I won't see them again."

"That's what I though." Edward clearly saw through my cheerful charade, but thankfully thought it best to let it go. He led me towards the seats he, Emmett and Rosalie had chosen. A nice table spot in the middle of the carriage. The carriage was only three quarters full, so we could probably keep our seats for the entire trip to Cologne.

"Wow, nice seats" I commented, taking a seat on one of them.

Rosalie smirked. "Well, let's say the other claimers were a bit intimidated when Emmett here showed up." She gave an adoring glance at the buff guy sitting next to him.

Emmett was still chuckling when Edward sat down next to me. "Bella, I got you're backpack. Unless you wanted to leave it out there for someone to steal."

Even though I knew he was teasing me over my forgetfulness, I blushed bright red. "Edward I'm so sorry! I was supposed to get it, I don't know what happened. I promise to –"

Edward stopped my rambling by placing his hand over my mouth. A playful smile on his lips and with his emerald eyes sparkling, he spoke: "I know Bella. It's okay." He removed his palm from my face, leaving a warm sensation on them. Strangely, I found out, that my eyes were unable to move away from Edward. I watched him run his long fingers through his messy, bronze locks. I watched him remove his brown leather jacket, leaving him only in a black T-shirt and a pair of faded, low-riding jeans. I watched him talk to Emmett over something, and laugh loudly at something – something I didn't even register – they were talking about. I just kept on staring. A part of my brain was screaming at the dumb, staring part to stop, but nothing happened.

A loud snap in front of my face finally broke the weird staring session. "Bella, your ticket." Edward said – probably for the umpteenth time, considering his expression – and looked at me with questioning eyes.

"Oh, right", I mumbled before frantically going through my purse in search for the ticket. I handed it over for inspection. I glanced at Rosalie, who was looking at me with a smile. When her eyes met mine, she winked slyly. Of course she would notice me staring something, or someone, dumbly for ages. Most people would.

Thankfully Emmett wasn't one of them. He was concentrated on playing around with his seat and looking out the window. But had Edward noticed? Hopefully not. This wasn't really something I'd want to explain, even though I generally liked talking to him. How do you exactly tell someone that the larger part of your brain just malfunctioned terribly, causing you to stare at that someone's abs. Nope, I didn't really feel like sharing this time.

I dug trough my purse again, this time looking for my new Pride and Prejudice. My enthusiasm for books gave me the perfect cover to ponder things in peace. And prevent any further lapses of brain function. For the next few hours I buried myself into reading, hoping that it would pass of as me missing Alice and Jasper. The others were also otherwise engaged: Rose was flipping through the newest Elle, Emmett was reading Elle as well, leaning on Rose's shoulder and occasionally commenting on something he thought was absurd. Edward was reading a small book, with no title on it. The cover was dark red and looked old. He seemed absorbed in his reading, but there was no way of telling for sure. And so our train ride went quietly.

I laid my book down only after the train personnel had announced our arrival to Cologne. We started to gather our things together. When the train stopped, we were the first to step off.

"It's still early afternoon. What do you think about finding a place to stay quickly and then find something to do?" Rosalie suggested when we left the station. You could already see the huge cathedral rising from masses of stone houses. The other thing I noticed were the beautiful iron arches of the railway bridge. I couldn't wait to snap a memory stick's worth of photos, but that would have to wait until I didn't have my backpack weighing me down.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Emmett said, voicing everyone's obvious opinion.

* * *

"Yes, we still have available rooms. There's one room for four persons, and the other two are for six persons." An extremely fake-blond teenager said while twirling her hair and shooting flirtatious glances at Edward and Emmett, who were inquiring for available rooms.

"I guess we'll take one four person room, then." He turned to us. "Or what?"

We all nodded in agreement. This was the fifth youth hostel we had been to. Apparently rooms were desperately hard to get right now. There was some kind of a drinking fest coming up this weekend. Or at least, that was what the last few places had told us. And this looked like a decent-enough place to stay, even if the receptionist being what she was.

"Oh, and do you happen to know something a first time visitor could do in Cologne?" Edward asked when the girl, Tania, had given us our keys.

"Yeah, but something not too stressful." Emmett agreed. "We'll leave that for tomorrow."

Tania's face lit up, and the hair-twirling intensified by a hundred. "Well, if you want to relax, then a really good place is the water park nearby. My friends and I go there really often. It's a fifteen minute walk from here." She drew out a city map and started to show directions to Edward and Emmett, leaning forward in order to reveal what her low-cut shirt hadn't shown yet. Rosalie looked at me with a scowl on her face. "Who does she think she is? What a bitch!" I nodded, watching Tania toss her blonde hair, which had been blocking the view to her cleavage.

Tania's: "You know, I get off work in six hours", combined with a wide smile at Emmett's direction was the last straw for Rose. She neared the desk and wrapped her arms around Emmett.

"Thank you, _Tania_, I think we'll be able to find it. You have a nice work day." She spit the words out and started dragging Emmett towards our room. Edward and I followed them. He smirked at Emmett, who looked back at us with a 'you gotta love her' –expression on his face.

Once in our room, it took about ten minutes for Emmett to calm his girlfriend down efficiently enough for us to start making plans.

"I think the water park sounds like a good idea." Rosalie finally said from Emmett's lap. "As long as we leave before that twit or one of her stupid friends arrive." Her voice was almost menacing in the end. I saw Emmett roll her eyes at Edward, who chuckled silently.

Rosalie jumped out of Emmett's lap and grabbed my arm instead. "Okay then, let's go swimming!" She said in a happy voice. "Bella, bathroom, now!"

* * *

Even though it was way past noon – the hottest time of the day – the water park was pretty full. It was a large area with a few pools. One was for kids, one for pro-swimmers and one for lounging around, with swirls, waves, caves and slides. Then there was a group of whirl pools and a cold water tub. All this was placed in a beautiful, luscious park with huge trees.

We managed to find a relatively quiet place near a gigantic oak tree that had branches reaching out, creating a lovely, cool shade if needed. Emmett and Edward took out the blanket we had borrowed – as a payback, in Rose's opinion – from the hostel and placed it on the ground.

Because Rose and Emmett wanted to go swimming immediately, we decided to eat later. I wasn't too keen to go swimming to be honest. I mean, I liked to swim. And I knew how. I just…wasn't too sure about the bikini Alice had forced me to pack, and Rose had forced on me today. I had grown to hate showing off my body during all those high school gym classes, where girls were terribly conscious about themselves and especially over others. Even though Rose had convinced me that I could easily wear the navy blue bikini, I wasn't quite comfortable with the fact yet, so I sat down on the blanket, keeping my blue tank top and light denim shorts on.

"Bella? Aren't you going swimming?" Edward's smooth voice asked from behind me.

I blushed lightly. "No. Not yet at least. I think I'll just relax here for a bit and watch our stuff. But you can go if you want to."

Edward eyed me for a short while. It was as if he knew something was up, but once again, decided not to pester me about it. "I think I'll stay out here for a while too." He said with a smile. "I can't count on you keeping our stuff safe, now can we?"

I raised an eyebrow. "By all means, stay and protect our possessions with your out of this world muscles."

Edward laughed loudly and sat down next to me. "Out of this world, huh?" He looked at me from under his eyelashes, making me blush again.

Edward reached out for his bag and took out the same book he had been reading in the train. I looked at it with curiosity.

"What are you reading?" I motioned to the book in his hand.

"Oh this one? I wasn't actually going to read, I just had it as a prop, just like your Austen over there, but…Would you like me to read for you?"

I looked Edward in his emerald eyes. "Sure, I'd like that."

Edward smiled and then lay down on the blanket, his head propped up against his bag. "Come on, lay down with me."

I did, and closed my eyes, waiting. Edward's velvety voice spoke his words floating in a mesmerising way.

_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:  
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:  
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,  
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,  
And every fair from fair sometime declines,  
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:  
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,  
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,  
Nor shall death brag thou __wand'rest in his shade,  
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,  
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,  
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee._

I was quiet. Then I opened my eyes, only to see his looking at mine.

"Shakespeare, huh?" I asked.

"Yes", Edward's voice was still calmer than normally. "I got the Sonnets as a birthday present a few years back. This one has always been one of my favorites."

"I loved it."

We continued laying there, our conversation picking up once we got over the poetry session. After about an hour, Rose and Emmett returned. They were both drenching wet, and also extremely hungry. I pulled out some juice, water, chicken salad, various fruit and some bread from our bags so we could start eating. Emmett gave his 'professional view' on the water park while we were munching down the food.

"Quite good. The water is almost perfect temperature-wise. Sure, the swirls were a bit tame, and the waves lacked some height. But it was cheap as hell so I'm not complaining."

"And is there some place we should steer clear from?" Edward questioned his brother with a meaningful look, which made me wonder at first. But when Rosalie blushed red and Emmett suggestively told Edward to 'might want to stay away from the caves', I understood his concern. I guess living with Emmett taught you to be prepared.

"Aren't you guys going swimming at all?" Rosalie asked us after she and I had cleaned up our trash.

"Hell yeah! I'm dying to try out the cold pool thing. I bet I can last longer than those wimps that tried out a few minutes ago."

"That's nice Em, though I wasn't really talking to you, but to Edward and Bella." Rose turned to look at us.

"I guess a try at the 'tame' swirls couldn't hurt", Edward pondered. "Do you want to join me, Bella?"

I bit my lip. The bikini question was still unanswered in my mind.

"You should go, Bella. I'm going to stay here anyway, to watch our stuff and dry out." Rosalie quipped in.

Oh, what the heck. This whole summer was an adventure, right? "Okay, I'll come."

Edward smiled and then pulled off his white T-shirt, leaving him only in a pair of blue surfer shorts. I quickly reached out for my own clothes, so Edward wouldn't see me staring his toned abs. With Rosalie smiling cheekily from behind her sunglasses, we made our way towards the pools. I saw Emmett already standing next to the pool full of freezing water, checking out if anyone was watching his upcoming stunt. Then I felt Edward's hand in mine. I turned my head to face him, and found his face closer than what I had expected.

"Bella…" Edward smiled crookedly.

"Yeah?" I asked. He was still walking, but I was mesmerized by his eyes. I had no idea where we were headed.

"You really look perfect"

Then, with a rough tuck, Edward jumped into the pool, pulling me with him.

Perfect. It was the only thing I could think of when water surrounded me in tickling bubbles, making everything impossibly blurry and hard to follow. _Perfect._

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	10. Germany 2

**Thank you reviewers!!! You are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine… sadly…**

Chapter 10 – Germany 2

EPOV

We began the next day early with a big breakfast. The table was filled with rolls straight out of a small, nearby bakery, soft-boiled eggs, more varieties of sausages than anyone could need – they really made Emmett's day – and a large selection of yogurts to mix with müsli. It looked extremely weird, with seeds and grains and nuts meshed up together. Rose was the first one of us to give it a shot, since it looked healthy and it turned out to be quite good. The oddest thing was how all the other breakfast eaters put marmalade on their rolls, and often even combined it with cheese. After a careful examination of their expressions when they munched it down, it tried it as well, and it wasn't too bad. One of those things you had to experience, if not necessarily repeat.

Having stuffed our stomachs full, we headed out. Our sight seeing before had been pretty loose, so we had decided to make this an extremely busy day, the kind that would have us zigzagging through Cologne until the brink of physical exhaustion.

After a short trip on a packed light rail we were standing in front of one of the world heritage sights – the Cologne Cathedral. The sight of the two pointed, elaborate-above-imagination towers was breathtaking. The entire façade with live-sized jamb figures carved on it and the way it seemed to go on and on. Even when I craned my neck back as far as it would go, I still couldn't see the entire thing with one look. All the details were too much to take in. We must have looked a bit odd, just standing in a line, staring for what seemed like ages. The sound of Bella's camera snapping finally broke us from our position. The snapping continued in a staggering pace, non stop.

I turned to look at Bella, who was just trying to get as much of the two towers into a picture. She seemed distracted by my stare.

"What? I don't want Alice to miss this, so I'm recording Cologne for her and Jasper."

I smiled. Alice and Jasper were lucky to have someone like Bella as their friend. "By all means, take all the pictures you want."

She winked playfully. "As I intend to." She positioned her camera for another shot, then groaned, irritated. "If only all those tourists would move from the entrance. I thought the reason we came early was to prevent this from happening!"

And truly, the was a continuous dribble of people going through the double doors, which seemed tiny in their frames, compared to their impressive surroundings, when they were really large in real life. Rosalie seemed to have noticed them as well.

"Guys, I think they're not tourists. I think it's time for the morning mass or something of the sorts."

Bella's next comment surprised me. "I think we should go there."

Emmett's face was a bit uneasy. "A mass? On a holiday? Why?"

"Well, I for one have never done anything like that, visited a Catholic mass", Bella reasoned.

"And we really have nothing else to do, since sight seeing is forbidden during mass." Rosalie was obviously on Bella's side. Both of their eyes went on full pleading mode, as they waited for our decision.

I looked at them and then turned to Emmett. His expression was already one of resignation. If Rosalie wanted to go, then he didn't have much of a say. When I looked at Bella's deep, chocolaty eyes yet again, I couldn't help but feel that I was somehow close to Emmett's predicament.

"I guess we'll go, then." I agreed. Bella and Rose squealed happily and started towards the entrance. When I opened the door, a sudden snap had me glancing around for the source. I found it quickly when Bella with her camera came into my vision. She was giggling and took another picture of my annoyed expression without warning. I hated pictures taken from me.

"Is that absolutely necessary?" I didn't want to be annoyed with Bella, but I couldn't quite conceal my irritation about the photos.

"I just wanted to document a martyr face. Come on Edward, an hour of your life for catholic religion is not likely to kill you." Her light, teasing tone seemed to melt my irritation away.

"Not likely…We'll see about that, won't we? But I'd rather you stick with photographing sights."

She smirked. "I really can't see the harm, besides I know Alice wants to see more from this trip than old buildings. And as it happens, I think _you_ are quite a sight." With a wink she passed me, a radiant pink colouring her cheeks.

I was frozen to my place. Was it just me or did she just…?

I shook my head and followed the others inside for the mass that was about to start. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

An hour or so later we could finally rise out of the uncomfortable wooden benches and start to explore the cathedral from the inside.

"Phew, that was one long our. And with long I mean biology-lecture long!" Emmett let out as soon as we were out of the pew. "I mean, even if I had understood a single thing…" He let his voice trail out after noticing a pair of elderly ladies looking at him with a frown. Their glares made even my humorous brother slightly uncomfortable, and wanting to get out of their vicinity, we moved to the side of the cathedral.

"Emmett, churches are places to keep your thoughts to your self." I reminded him with a hushed tone.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I know, brother dearest. Trust me, I'm beyond suave in situations like these. Ooh, is that a confessionary?" Emmett's assuring manner crumbled as he rapidly moved towards the nearby confessionary.

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. If Emmett would be the first to be banned from a church, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

A small hand rubbed my back comfortingly. "Why don't we go look at something else?" Bella asked, trying to make me feel better. "I still have an awful lot of this memory card left."

I smiled at her waving the camera and walked with her in the exact opposite direction from where Rosalie was trying to rein Emmett in.

Bella certainly had 'an awful lot' of memory card, considering the way she took pictures non stop. From the famous confessionary, the high arched ceiling above the long row of pews, the golden sarcophagus of the three kings, the detailed wooden carvings, the exquisite rose windows with colourful pictures of religious characters.

I mainly followed Bella around, content to look at anything she showed an interest to. Of course I enjoyed the treasure chamber, the tombs and epitaphs and all the old, memorable things as well, but I honestly liked her reactions to them even better.

After another hour we started to climb up the stairs to the tower with Rose and Emmett, who had a much meeker quality to him, thanks to Rosalie. If Bella's photography had been non stop before, it was frantic by the time we reached the top of the stairway and was our first glimpse over Cologne.

In the middle of Bella's capturing everything on tape and Emmett and Rose's cuddling next to the railing, I took a long moment to look at the vision-like scenery below me. For me, the best way to really appreciate a city seemed to be seeing it from high above. London Eye, the Eiffel Tower and now this. It gives an overwhelming idea of what the town was like in the most realistic way.

Once again, Bella had found her way next to me.

"I notice you have stopped your new hobby", I commented as I saw her camera-free hands.

She chuckled, still watching the view. "Yeah, but only for the cathedral. I'm bringing it out again, once we head out. Which should happen soon, by the way. Rose and I thought it'd be for the best if we cleared out before midday prayer time."

"Sounds like a plan."

I turned away from the view overlooking the arched bridge over Rhine, and headed towards the stairs again. When we stepped out, another swarm of people was heading for the noon prayers.

Emmett spoke up. "I think we ought to have something to eat, being religious really makes me hungry."

And with that hysteric note we left to find lunch. Since we didn't really know much about restaurants in Cologne, anything worked for us. The only thing we wanted to avoid were 'faceless multinational corporations' as Rose liked to put it. It did seem a bit irrational to eat in a McDonald's when you just got away from the US.

A reasonably short time later we found a pretty modern Italian restaurant, and settled down at a table right in the middle of the dining area.

"Oh, perfect, I am starving!" Emmett said as our waitress brought up a basket of garlic bread before taking our orders. It was a really stereotypical place, with chequered tablecloths and Il Divo as back round music.

But the food was beyond expectations. The pizzas were so large that their sides were hanging off the plates. All of us were completely stuffed, except for Emmett, who managed to eat his super-size pizza as well as what was left from Bella and Rosalie's pasta and chicken Alfredo.

Even the check surprised me, it was about half of what I would have thought. Emmett and I intended to split the bill between ourselves, but our gentlemanly idea was quickly shot down by the girls. They vehemently refused us, claiming that we were all in the same situation with a traveling budget and we should act like it.

When we stepped outside, the loud gang of boys that had been sitting next to out table followed us out. One of them – probably considered the bravest one, judging by all the back-pushing his friends were doing – approached us as soon as we were in the sunny outside air again.

"Umm…Hi there! I'm Michael. Are you on holiday here?" He seemed slightly nervous to me, but he was trying to mask it with a macho posture and a bit too curious expression.

"Yeah, you could say so. We're interrailing through Europe for this month." I decided to answer, keeping it polite. No need to be unpleasant, right?

"That sounds great…" He looked back at his friends for nonexistent backup. "Do you need a guide? We're locals so we really know our way around the city."

"Oh, please, I'd be shocked if they didn't know where to go in the city they live in…" Rosalie's sarcastic comment floated to my ears, but I doubt they heard it. I hid my chuckle.

"Well, we're just going to the chocolate museum today, and I think we can find our way, thanks." Emmett replied, grinning widely as if to show the friendliness that often didn't come off. I mean, just look at him.

"Oh? What about tonight then? What are you doing?"

The four of us looked at each other. "What do you guys think?" Bella asked.

"Well, we don't have anything planned for tonight…" Rose said her opinion.

"Yeah, and even if they were planning something, I think we'll manage. I mean", Emmett said, looking at our German acquaintances with a snide expression "look at them!"

That settled it. We exchanged numbers with Michael and then left them slapping each other's backs for their achievement.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "I seriously hope there are some other dudes in wherever they're planning on taking us."

* * *

It was around nine pm when we arrived on a pretty crowded park area right by the river. Michael, or 'Mike' as he had asked us to call him, had picked us up from our hostel with his same group of friends and then walked us to the riverside for a 'gathering'. Apparently it was their group of friends, but Emmett at least looked relieved to see some athletic looking guys playing volley ball nearby. "Thank God there are un-geeky people in Germany…" I heard him mutter to himself.

There were blankets laid out onto the grass and some guys were barbequing right next to them, an appetizing smell of meat floating in the air. Coolers filled with beer, wine and soda bottles were placed near the barbeque area.

"This looks like a big party", Bella commented to Rose and me. Mike heard her and turned to her, smiling.

"Oh no, this is pretty casual. We just hang around and eat. Speaking of which, the food should be ready soon." He shouted something in German to the barbeque-guy who replied with a boisterous laugh. Mike turned to us again.

"Yeah, food is ready soon. You can help yourselves, really. And same goes for the drinks. Oh, and you can also play football or volleyball if you like."

I bet we looked a bit lost at the moment, with too much information at once. At last, we settled on one of the blankets and grabbed some meat and potato salad on disposable plates.

Everyone seemed really friendly and came to talk to us, switching to English as soon as they noticed we had no idea what they were saying. They asked us what we thought about Cologne and Germany in general, and told us at least a dozen places we shouldn't miss. When we were done with eating, some of the guys asked us to play football. Only Emmett and I went, though. Rosalie seemed to dislike the thought of running around, kicking a muddy ball, and Bella comment really said it all: "Oh really, I can't even walk up stairs with dignity and you want me to play soccer?"

We teamed up and had fun playing around, having a good round of exercise on the side. Germans really take their soccer seriously, I mean, they were really good. Emmett and I were keeping up though. Every once and a while we would glance at the girls, and for the looks of it they were having fun. When we had been playing for about an hour, Emmett suddenly nudged me and then nodded towards the Bella and Rose. Their blanket had been invaded by Mike and a bunch of other guys. Oddly enough, the girls didn't seem to mind.

"We'd better check it out", Emmett said. I nodded in agreement. It's not that we had anything in particular against Mike and his friends – in fact, most of them were pretty nice – but still I somehow didn't like the idea of having them so close to Bella without me there.

We thanked for the game and then quickly made our way to the blanket. Rose noticed us first. "Emmett!" She cried out and ran to him, launching herself in his arms. Emmett looked at me confusedly. I was as puzzled as he was – Rose hadn't really come across as a really emotional person.

I quickly looked at Bella, who was still sitting with her new acquaintances. Suddenly she glanced my way and then turned her head back at once, giggling madly. Not really knowing what was going on, I made my way over to Bella and sat down next to her, and then noticed why they were acting out of ordinary.

"Ooh, Edward, you have to try this one. It's coke and beer. Isn't that funny?" Bella told me in an enthusiastic way, and seemed to find it simply hilarious herself, and giggled again with her cheeks flushed pink.

I looked at her, amused now that I knew nothing was wrong with them. "Yeah, really funny…Listen Bella, how many of those have you had?"

Bella bit down on her lip, thinking really hard. "I don't know. Maybe three. You should too, it's really good." She finished her statement with a small hiccup.

I was hiding my chuckle now. I knew for a fact that this was her first time to drink this much, and it was fun to watch. She was much less reserved and she also not as shy.

Emmett and Rose came to sit next to us on the blanket. My brother also seemed to have grasped at what was going on. He didn't seem to mind too terribly. "Sweet! They're both drunk. We could make them make out with each other!"

I glared at him. "Emmett!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe you should get to kiss Bella before Rosie."

I smacked my brother and then just decided to ignore his remarks for a while. I moved myself so that I was sitting behind Bella, with my legs on either side of hers. She leaned her head on my chest as we continued to talk to the group sitting with us. The conversation had now moved from Germany to all of Europe. Some of them had done a lot of traveling in continental Europe during holidays and they gave us great pointers.

We just sat there talking until it was way past midnight. I noticed it was getting chilly, Bella was snuggling closer to me and I could feel her shivering occasionally. I turned to look at Emmett.

"I think we should get the girls inside, it's getting cold."

Emmett nodded in agreement and gingerly unwrapped himself from Rosalie, standing up. "Come on Rosie, let's get you up."

I also stood up, and gave my hand to Bella to help her up. We thanked Mike and his friends again for the invitation and then started to make our way back to the hostel. The walk wasn't too long, but just after a few hundred meters it became clear it would take a while. Emmett and I had only drunk a few beers, but we were also a bit bigger than Bella and Rosalie. They had definitely out-played us on the drinking section tonight. Rose seemed like she could handle herself with some grace, but Bella's clumsiness had increased by a thousand with alcohol in her blood. After I had caught her by the waist for what seemed like the fiftieth time, I realised we weren't going anywhere with this speed.

"Okay, here's what we'll do", I said, pulling Bella up by her waist after yet another fall. "I'll just carry her, it's much easier."

Emmett helped Bella to my back. "You're really going to the right direction, Eddie", he said in a hushed whisper.

I just growled at him and turned my attention to Bella. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"Hold on tight, okay? I don't want you to fall off."

"Hmm…"

We moved much faster after that. I actually preferred this to her walking next to me. Bella really held on tight, her hands wrapped around me. We went straight to our room when we arrived. I made my way to Bella's bed and gently pried her hands away from my neck. She looked half asleep already.

I was feeling tired as well. We all were, really, considering the full day we had. We just changed quickly and got ready to sleep, having showered before we left earlier. Rose had to help Bella a bit, while Emmett and I were facing the opposite wall. Then we just turned off the lights and went to bed.

I had barely fallen asleep, when I heard light tapping of feet in the room. I opened one eye and saw Bella out of bed.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I mumbled tiredly.

She gasped, startled by my voice. "Oh, I woke you up." She sounded a more sober than a while ago.

"Nah, it's okay. Is something wrong?"

"Umm…No. I'm just looking for a sweater. I'm really cold."

Right at that moment I didn't know what went into me. Maybe it was all the hints Emmett had rammed to my subconscious mind, or the few beers that I'd had.

"I think it might be a reaction to the alcohol, if your muscles are cramping. Come here next to me. We can talk until it passes."

Bella hesitated for a while, but then walked next to my bed and climbed under covers. She was really freezing. "Thanks." She breathed quietly.

"No problem. We should try to get some sleep, if we ever want to get up."

Bella nodded tiredly and closed her eyes. I hesitantly wrapped my other arm around her waist, not sure if it was okay. Bella scooted a bit closer after that and rested her head against my shoulder, her breath tickling my collar bone. If I hadn't been this tired, I doubt I would have gotten any sleep at all, with Bella resting next to me. But since I was exhausted, it didn't take too long for my eyes to shut and my mind drift away from the sweet, beautiful girl in my arms.

* * *

**Review, please. I need to know what you thought, just that I know I'm going to the right direction. And If you have any wishes, go ahead and let me know.**

**Sorry about the somewhat large gap between updates. I've just had a ton to do, and when I didn't, I was just plain lazy…But I'll try and be more active.**

**So, you know what to do! :D**

**Isabella Juliet**


	11. Ain't that fun?

**Hello! Chapter 11 is now (finally) up!**** Oh, and this one goes to GH who has a nasty flu…Feel better soon, darling!**

**Disclaimer: Cheers to SM for coming up with all these charming characters!**

Chapter 11

RPOV

Today could only get better. When I had woken up today, I'd felt fine. That was until I had been stupid enough to stand up. Bella was pretty much in the same predicament. Well, actually she was a bit worse, since she'd never taken in that much alcohol to begin with. And we had seriously gone slightly overboard yesterday evening. Damn alcohol disguised with coke!

Emmett and Edward's behaviour were extremely sweet the entire morning, with Emmett keeping his booming laughter in check after a few minor slip-ups in the beginning. Bella and I laid in my bed, tending to out head aches, while the boys went to get something light for us to eat. We only used half of the volume we normally would have, since it was more pain-free.

After a fruit and cracker breakfast flushed down with about a gallon of water, Bella and I felt somewhat better. In the end it was Edward, who felt brave enough to ask if we cared for a walk, so after we had kicked the boys out, we showered and dressed in comfy clothes, pairing them up with the biggest sunglasses we had brought with us.

"When Alice suggested I buy these, I thought she was out of her little mind, but now they have redeemed themselves thoroughly." Bella joked lightly, pushing them up against her eyes tightly, as we exited the hostel.

"Is the sun bothering you?" Edward asked, concerned.

"Not too badly, the glasses are really good, I'll have to thank Alice", Bella answered with her first smile for the morning. Than seemed to make Edward's day as well.

I rolled my eyes behind my glasses. Oblivious, those two. Edward was acting like the best boyfriend imaginable, bringing her breakfast and being overly concerned and attentive. Every one of us had noticed it this week, besides Bella. And all of her subtle flirtatious glances and hints were totally lost with Edward being the most obtuse person in the existence. They were just too lost in their own feelings to realise the feelings being sent to them. Even Bella getting drunk didn't work, and that had to be the only thing that could possibly speed up these prudes.

I rested my head against Emmett's shoulder as we slowly made our way to the riverside. Thank God he had been outspoken enough to admit his feelings when he saw me. I smiled at this thought and looked at the man sitting next to me on the grass.

"What is it baby?" Emmett questioned, noticing my improved mood.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you are the straight-forward person that you are." I leaned into him more and snuggled against him.

"You know Rosalie, you might be the first ever to like that feature about him", Edward joked from his brother's side. "It used to drive mom our of her wits, trying to reign Emmett in on family dinner parties and all the social events we attended."

"Used to? What changed?" Bella asked, sitting appropriately far enough from Edward, sunglasses tightly in place.

Emmett laughed loudly, making me wince a little, though I was already feeling better. "I just stopped attending", he explained.

"Or just shut up when he had to be there." Edward commented dryly, earning a smack from Emmett.

We sat there for almost two hours before Bella was ready to head out to the somewhat louder civilisation. Since it was a nice day out, and we really didn't feel like going to any particular destination, we just strolled around Cologne, occasionally dropping by an interesting looking store. Everything was luscious and green. Most of the old stone houses we passed were covered with ivy climbing up the sides. It was a pretty peaceful afternoon.

"You know, I think I've seen enough of Cologne for now", Emmett declared as we sat eating Italian ice-cream for dessert.

"Oh? Where should we go next?" Edward asked lazily.

"Well…I was kinda thinking, that I'd like to go with Rose." He looked at Edward a bit guiltily.

Edward focused instantly. "You mean just the two of you?" His eyes showed questions, a slight amount of nervousness and then something else, maybe happiness.

"Yeah, would you be okay with that? I know we were supposed to spend the month together…" Emmett let his voice trail. "But Bella would love to go with you, right Bella?"

Bella blushed at her sudden part in the conversation. "Umm, yeah. Why not." It sounded more like a question than an answer. Then she pulled herself together. "We can finally check out museums without horrible guilt trips."

Edward smiled at her comment. "I suppose…It's okay."

Emmett seemed a bit concerned for his brother. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Do you think I'd want to watch all of your mushy stuff?" He laughed a bit, starting to be okay with the idea. "We're going to see each other again in what? Like a week? I think I can handle it.?

"Awesome!" Emmett burst of excitement made me laugh. He turned to look me deeply in the eye.

"Looks like it's just you and me, baby."

"And ain't that fun?" I smirked at him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

We had just walked Edward and Bella to the train to north. In the end, they both seemed happy – still nervous as hell, though – about traveling together. And I was willing to bet my entire travel budget that it had nothing to do with going to museums.

"I hope those two get over themselves now that they are alone", I mused to Emmett as we walked to our room.

"They'd better. That's kind of what I hoped for when I suggested this."

I pretended shock. "So you didn't want to spend time alone with me? I'm appalled Emmett."

He laughed a throaty chuckle. "I will spend time alone with you, and it doesn't matter if Edward and Bella are present or not. I just thought they might be shyer then I am."

"Let's hope it works, they're really into each other."

"They have over a week together in Europe. If Edward doesn't manage that, then we are sure as hell not related."

I laughed at his statement and started gathering my things together for tomorrow's departure.

"You know, we have this room all to ourselves now…" Emmett's voice called from the bed.

I smirked to myself and turned to face him. With slow, stalking steps I went over to him, eyeing him up and down.

"And ain't that fun?" I purred and pushed him down on the bed.

* * *

BPOV

Once we were on the train I felt it was safe enough to take my sunglasses off. I pushed them up to hold my hair out of my face and blinked at the sudden lightness. All though dimmer than the sun outside, the train still had a fair amount of windows keeping things annoyingly bright.

"You know, you can wear sunglasses on trains", Edward said to me as we walked the aisle full of place-craving passengers.

"Nah, I'll adjust. It's too obvious. I could just as good write 'I got drunk last night and am now not loving it so much' to my forehead."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "But you did get drunk, and are clearly now enjoying the brightness."

"I do not want the entire train to know that", I mumbled, hoping that no one had heard our conversation. I started to move my head around, looking for a seat of some sort. The train really was full. I heard Edward mutter something about stubbornness, but decided not to comment.

We managed to find two empty seats in a crammed train carriage and snatched them for ourselves before anyone else could. Since the luggage rack was stuffed, we had to keep our backpacks next to our seats. I didn't really have a problem, with my feet being the length they were, but Edward suffered a bit from the lack of leg room. I soon made him trade placed with me so that he was sitting on the aisle seat, giving him a bit of space.

"We have a four hour ride to Hamburg, and I would hate if you'd have to amputate your legs before we get there."

Edward snorted at my comment but didn't fight back. I guess he thought it was a good idea as well, even though he was too polite to say it. We had just finished getting settled when the train began moving.

"What are we going to do in Hamburg? It's pretty late once we arrive." I asked Edward. Somehow I trusted him to know a solution, even if it was his first time in Europe as well.

"I guess we'll see that once we arrive." He replied with a crooked grin. It was my turn to use his trademark eyebrow-raising. He chuckled at this, before getting serious. "I honestly don't know yet. We'll just have to trust that we won't have to spend the night on some mouldy park bench."

"With old newspapers keeping us warm."

"And winos keeping us company."

I grinned at his joking manner, but caught an additional emotion from behind his eyes. Something was bothering him.

"Edward? Is everything okay? I mean, I'm sure we don't really have to sleep on park benches."

He shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable. "It's nothing really. It's just…a bit weird I guess being here without Emmett. I know he can be a pain, but he's still my brother and we haven't really ever gone abroad without the other."

Edward seemed embarrassed, admitting that he was missing his brother. He was avoiding my eyes, looking at the loud group of passengers sitting down the aisle in stead. A slight blush had crept on his cheeks. I smiled at his abashed behaviour, it was too adorable.

"Edward, it's okay to admit you miss your brother. I'm sure he misses you too."

Edward snorted. "I think he's too distracted by Rose to be doing any missing of any sort."

"Are you jealous?" There was a long silence following my question. I gave a sigh. "Edward, he just found Rosalie, don't you think it's pretty likely that he's going to want to spend time with her?"

Edward finally took his eyes off other passengers. "I know that, and I sort of even saw it coming. It's just that Emmett has never had a serious relationship, and this time with Rose…it seems so different then with all the dim-witted types he used to fancy." He ran a hand through his unruly bronze hair. "I don't know, it's all happening really fast and…"

"You don't know how to take it in?" I asked tentatively. Edward nodded and frowned a bit. It was hard on him, I could see that. When Alice and Jasper first started going out, I'd had a similar feeling of the situation. They had been so caught up with each other, and I'd had a tough time figuring out how to adapt with my best friend not being available all the time. Alice had noticed it after the first craze had passed, though, and we had talked about it. After that all three of us had been friends and I hardly ever felt like I couldn't spend time with them.

I looked at Edward, trying to cheer him up with a smile. "He's not going to be all over Rose forever. In fact, I bet when we come back and meet them again, the first frenzy will be over and you can have some of Emmett's time back."

Edward returned my smile almost fully. "I'll take that bet, but still hope that you win. Emmett can be pretty one-track, though."

I cringed at the thought slightly when I heard a small ringing from my purse. I leaned in and reached out for my cell. It was a text from Alice.

"It's from Alice", I answered Edward's unspoken question before reading.

_Hi B!_

_Having fun? What R U and others up to?_

_J and I are in France at the moment, the shops are to die 4!_

_Report! J says hi._

_A_

I snickered at her text. Alice somehow managed to be bubbly even when abbreviated. Knowing her impatience, I'd have to answer soon, before she crammed my inbox.

_AJ_

_Great that UR having fun__, we R blasting._

_Em and Rose are going goo-goo,_

_so Eddy and I are going north now._

"Say hi from me to them." Edward said from my side, while digging through his backpack for his iPod. I nodded and continued my message.

_He say__s hi._

_Thank J and send 3 home when you send stuff overseas._

_I miss U both._

_B_

I put my phone away and turned to Edward. He took the other earplug out.

"How are Alice and Jasper?"

I smiled. "Oh they're going fine. Alice is probably driving Jazz insane with all the crazy shopping, but he doesn't really ever mind. I think they are enjoying themselves."

"How long have they been together?" Was Edward's next question. I could see his mind was still on Emmett and Rosalie.

"Oh, for about four years I guess. They started pretty much as soon as Jasper moved to Forks. And yes, they were pretty insufferable at first, but they got over it. Just like Em and Rose are going to."

Edward nodded at my answer to his real question as I focused on the new text that had just come from Alice.

_Aww, we miss U like craZ!_

_B sure to have fun and send Eddy our 3_

_;)_

_AJ_

"You know, I resent that nickname." Edward's irritated voice came from right next to my ear. I quickly turned my head to see his head almost resting on my shoulder, with him frowning at the screen of my cell.

"Well, that's just too bad. Eddy is just the right length for text messages, deal with it." I replied with a smirk.

Edward rolled his eyes at me, but decided to drop it. "Do you want to listen to some music?" He asked in stead, offering me a pair of earplugs. I took them and relaxed back on my seat as he turned some music on.

"What is this?"

"It's a band called the Maine. Do you like it?" Edward asked.

"A-huh" I replied, closing my eyes, taking the lyrics in.

We spent most of the ride to Hamburg like this, listening to his iPod, occasionally commenting on a piece of music or the band that made the piece in question. It was really soothing, doing something this normal in the midst of an otherwise eventful journey. Somewhere between Smash Mouth and Mirah I felt my head starting to droop.

* * *

**Sorry, a bit short this time. It felt like a good place to stop. I might have the next chapter up sooner, though. You know what I need for that *wink* :D**

**RPOV was interesting, I think..Did you like it?**

**Review, people...  
**

**Isabella Juliet**


	12. You'll see

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. Sadly…**

**So, I'm back…Finally, you could even say :D But honestly, it's not intentional. I'm having a real crazy time with school and should be studying even though I'm on holiday! It sucks. **

**This is the first time I've not written a chapter at once, but in tiny pieces, every time I have a few free minutes. I hope it doesn't show…**

**And here's the next chapter.**

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Chapter 12

BPOV

We'd stepped out of the train ten minutes ago, but somehow were still standing on the emptying platform – standing side by side, just gazing around the dwindling traffic. It was eleven and the station apparently had no trains arriving in the next twenty minutes. Soon we were pretty much the only ones on the platform. Oh, except for the elderly man dozing on the nearby bench with a long jacket covering him.

"So…" I said. "I guess sleeping on the station is out."

Edward looked outraged that I would even voice such thoughts. "Was that ever an option? Bella, when I said that earlier…that was called joking."

I rolled my eyes. "Like I even doubted that. But still, we have to do something."

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I know."

There was a silence.

"Any ideas?" I smirked with raised eyebrows. Even though, there was really nothing funny with our situation. We were both first-timers in Hamburg, which made searching for a sleeping place at this hour a really bad choice of action. All the tourist-infos would most likely be closed right now.

"I bet there are still trains leaving tonight", Edward said, mostly to himself.

"What are you saying?"

My question snapped him out of his pondering mode. He turned to look at me. "What I'm saying is, how much do you want to see Hamburg right now?"

"Is that a rhetoric question?"

"My suggestion is we take the next train out of here and sleep onboard."

"And not see Hamburg at all?"

"We could come back later, if we have time." Edward suggested. I knew that he at least suspected that I'd mind if we skipped something. I had told him about my habit of wanting to be thorough.

"Look Bella, I just don't want us – especially you – wandering around in a city you don't know. Who knows, you might end up finding yourself at Reeperbahn."

I raised an eyebrow at his attempt to make a joke. "But I thought this summer is all about adventure. What is more adventurous than exploring a city at night?"

Edward gazed around the station again – trying to find a way to contradict my reasoning, no doubt – when his eyes suddenly focused on something. Before I had a chance to turn around, I was being tugged away from the platform so fast I nearly fell down. I yelped in protest: Edward should know better than to try moving me unexpectedly.

And then we halted again. It was another platform, but a bit livelier than the previous one. It actually had a train waiting on it. It was small, just four carriages but at least it was lit.

"Would boarding a train with an unknown destination be adventurous enough?" Edward asked, his green eyes glinting proudly, because he had found a way to keep us from dark streets without backtracking the adventure part.

"We'll know where it's going right after we leave", I pointed out.

Edward shrugged "but the excitement is still there for a while. Please, let's board." The final question was delivered with a pair of begging eyes and a small pout that made me blush.

I rolled my eyes before agreeing. How could such amount of improvised persuasion go unrewarded? "But if we have time before we meet the others, we are coming again."

"I'll hold you to that", Edward replied as he hoisted our bags in from the open carriage door.

* * *

The train ride lacked most of the adventurous qualities Edward had promised. Actually it was really uneventful. Well, to be honest, I missed most of it, because I fell asleep soon after the train left and we found out we'd be going to Copenhagen. If anything, the ride was embarrassing for me. When I fall asleep, I tend to do stuff I wouldn't do normally, with me being unconscious and all.

"Okay, just give me the facts right away Edward. How much of a joke was I for the people onboard?"

Edward was in the process of carrying our bags out of the train – we had arrived just a few minutes ago. I was far too dazed to do anything but walk myself having woken up just five minutes before our arrival. Though Edward seemed preoccupied with the backpacks he registered my question and looked up.

"Sorry? A joke?"

"Aw, come on Edward. I'm known for my 'hilarious' sleeping scenarios, Alice makes fun of it every single time I do something."

"Well, this might ease your concerns then, because I neither noticed or heard anything that would make people make fun of you." His voice was sincere, but the eyes were opened a bit too wide to make me fully believe him.

"Edward…" I was trying to sound stern.

"What Bella? Don't you trust me? That hurts, like I would never let people laugh at you."

I laughed making him smile too. His green eyes glinted mischievously.

"All right, I'll let this slide, because I trust you. Actually, right now I trust you to lead me away from this station to explore."

Edward grinned and helped my backpack on me, then guiding me towards the main entrance. "That's my thought exactly."

We left our backpacks at the station before we left though. Since it was pretty early still, Edward had suggested we leave searching for a sleeping place for later and see some of the sights now. Copenhagen was a pretty big place which meant we had a lot of ground to cover. But first, we had to have breakfast. The first café that came across seemed appropriate enough, so we went inside and ordered some sandwiches and coffee.

"You know, I hear Denmark's pretty known for sandwiches." I let my sentence trail off. Edward cocked his head at the fact and took a huge bite off his sandwich, making a big show of tasting it.

"Well I don't know about that, but if I had known about this taste before…I would have known to stay away from this café", Edward smirked at me after whispering his opinion. I raised an eyebrow before munching down on my own sandwich, which unfortunately proved Edward right.

When we left the café, having finished our sandwiches, I sighed, feigning remorse. "This trip has been so wonderful, I was beginning to think that Europe is a utopia."

"Really? That perfect?" Edward seemed curious.

"Yeah. I really haven't had that many trips growing up. Besides from the quite frequent flight between my mom and Charlie, I've never really been anywhere. Charlie isn't the traveling type, and when mom goes away, it's usually with her new husband."

"Phil." I noticed it was a statement, not a question. I was surprised he even remembered.

"That's right. Sometimes I'd go with Alice's family, but mostly it was fishing trips for me."

Edward burst into laughter at that. "Fishing? I find that hard to picture."

I turned away, a bit embarrassed, to hide my blush that a mere memory of those catastrophic trips caused. Then, suddenly, I spotted something. I turned to Edward, who was still chortling. I'd have to get back at him someday.

"Hey Edward, look over there." I pointed his eyes to the right direction.

"Yeah? I see bikes." He was confused.

"Yep. They are free to use in the city area, and they will be transporting us today."

I could just imagine the fun of it. Mom and I used to love going biking a few years ago – an obsession of hers at the time – and after that I still liked to do it sometime. The wind in your hair, none of that dreary walking, going fast…Edward obviously didn't see my vision. The look on his face, when he noticed I was serious was worth taking a picture. I could see this would take some persuading.

"It's a trendy fast way of getting around in the city. We'd see a lot more in a shorter time."

"I'm fine with seeing a little less if we just take it slow. You on a bike is a threatening idea. For you and for the population of Copenhagen."

I ignored that last one. "It's free. And it's healthy. And it's free, doesn't cost anything."

"You do know you said 'it's free' twice, right? But if it's up to money, I'll pay you just to not go on those things. They look like they're about to fall apart. And they look filthy."

"Aw Edward, are you afraid of a little dirt? We'll drive around for a few hours, then we'll get our backpacks, find a place to stay and you can go take a shower. Please Edward, I really want to do this. Please?"

Edward was just staring at me, but I could see him caving from the look in his eyes. I somehow managed to hide my victorious smirk behind a hopeful expression. Finally, he sighed.

"Okay, but you'd better appreciate this, because I'm doing this for you."

I squealed and started dragging him towards the bikes, skipping with every other step. This was an interesting new talent I'd discovered just now. I readily admitted that I had no real dating experience (not that Edward and I were dating) but please seemed to be working. I'd have to keep that in mind, because there was no guarantee to what Edward was up to.

We took our bikes – Edward spending way too much time on picking out the cleanest and safest looking ones, and me teasing him about it relentlessly – and started to circle around Copenhagen. We drove around the beautiful parks, which were plentiful, and saw some charming old, colourful stone houses. I had to stop every once in a while to take pictures, and in turn, Edward would tease me relentlessly about that.

While driving, Edward pestered me about fishing trips, somehow dazzling me to tell embarrassing stories that involved ER's and hooks in odd places. I then wanted to know about his embarrassing stories, because so far, every single one had been about me. I was surprised, when he passed with flying colours, describing some of the pranks Emmett had pulled on him. In the end I was laughing so hard, I had difficulties keeping my bike going straight.

The only sight we actually stopped to look at for a longer time, was the Little Mermaid by the shore. The little, coppery statue was almost as striking as Mona Lisa had been. But where Mona Lisa was mysterious and secretive, the Little Mermaid was sad. After taking pictures of a dozen angles, moving around to get the cranes away from the background, I just kept looking for a long time. She was tiny, and the copper had been turned black by the air. The look on her face was devastating. Just the amount of longing she had for her old life and the prince she couldn't have.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

* * *

EPOV

Bella had been staring at the statue for a long time, even after the frantic usage of her camera that had been happening a lot today. I had to admit, the mermaid looked sad, but I thought it a bit ruined with all the cranes and cargo in the background. I looked at my watch for the first time today, and noticed we'd been driving around for nearly five hours. I'd had such a relaxed time with Bella that I hadn't even noticed the day passing. She told me more about her embarrassing stories, which made it so much easier for me to tell her mine. Not that I didn't want to share, it's just that I wasn't that used to it. I'd never really had girls for friends, so I was on a new territory and so far I liked it. I was excited to see where this went.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

She turned to me, startled by my voice that had clearly broken her train of thought. She looked alright – well better than alright naturally, but in the sense of my question she was alright – but somehow sad and pondering. She smiled reassuringly at me.

"Yes, I'm fine. The Mermaid is just so sentimental to me – it was one of my favourite stories as a child. The real version, that is: not the Disney one with talking crabs and a happy ending."

"The real story is a bit different, isn't it?"

"Totally." She turned back to face the statue one more time. "What time is it?"

I looked at my watch to check the time. "It's past three. I think we should go soon and get our bags from the station."

Bella looked shocked when she heard the time. "Oh gosh, Edward! I'm so sorry. I promised you wouldn't have to drive around for no more than a few hours. I feel terrible. I'm so, so sorry."

I stopped her rambling. "Bella, I honestly did not mind. I had fun."

"Even with the dirty, broken-down bicycles and all?"

"Yes, even with the bicycles being what they were", I laughed. She was so sweet, worrying over me, when she was just getting back at me for dragging her to the Denmark train without so much as a warning. "Come on, let's head back to find a place to stay. And then we can do something fun this evening."

We returned the bikes near the station about half an hour later and fetched our bags from the storage lockers. It was somehow nice to have the familiar weight back on – when you didn't have it, it felt like you had lost all your possessions, and that was not a nice feeling. A small city guide I had picked up from the station proved its usefulness, when we managed to find a youth hostel pretty close to the city centre. It was only after we arrived at the front desk, that problems arose:

"Good day, how may I help you?"

"Hello, we'd like a room for two please. For two nights."

The middle-aged man behind the desk looked confused. "Pardon me, I think you may have the wrong idea. This is a youth hostel. We have large rooms for about ten people. They are cheaper and especially our younger clients have enjoyed the possibility of new acquaintances."

"We'll have two beds then." Bella chipped in, probably guessing that I found group accommodation weird. She took her wallet out and paid for her share, while I grudgingly paid for mine. Group accommodation, what else? I just wanted her in the same room without a dozen others, could anyone blame me?

"Alright, then. You will be staying in room six, and you, young man, are in room nine. There should be an info sheet on your bed, and breakfast will be served at eight."

I stopped right there. "We're not even in the same room?"

Bella raised her eyebrows at me. Even I knew how my comment must have sounded. I just wasn't too keen on letting go of her company. "Well duh Edward, they have rooms divided by gender."

"But what if there are some dangerous people living in your room? You don't know what they're up to."

"I'll be sure to run away screaming, should I find any serial killers in my room. Relax, nothings going to happen."

"Okay, but if anything weird happens, you let me know okay?"

Bella rolled her eyes at me. "Okay…What are our plans tonight? I expect you'll want me away from a roomful of murderers and drug dealers."

I ignored her teasing and decided to get back at her. "It's a surprise. I'll pick you up on my way out."

She groaned. "You know I hate surprises. That's not fair. I don't even know what time your coming by my door."

"You'll see when I get there", I answered while walking towards my room. Now all I needed to do was to find a surprising thing for tonight.

* * *

**I stopped it there, but I already know what they'll do! This way I may be able to update sooner.  
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**Please tell me your opinion, I'd really like to know**

**Isabella Juliet  
**


	13. Denmark

**Disclaimer: It's not mine! Twilight is by Stephenie Meyer, the one and only…**

**Busy as always, but here's the new chapter anyways :) **

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Chapter 13

EPOV

When I got to room number nine and go the door open, the first thing I noticed were the other people. There were ten beds, four of which were occupied and the other four that had clearly been slept on. I tossed my backpack on the available top bunk, hoping that the bottom would stay empty.

"British?"

I turned to the guy sitting on the bunk next to me, who had asked the question. He was blond and tanned, and was wearing a yellow t-shirt with blue crowns on it. So either he was from Sweden or he just really liked the country. My bet was on the first.

"Umm, American." I offered my hand for him to shake and he took it grinning widely.

"Nice. I'm Linus, from Sweden."

"Edward from Washington. Nice to meet you. Linus, was it?" The way he pronounced the name was nothing like I had previously heard. Linus grinned as soon as he heard my version of his name.

"That's fine too. I get that a lot when I go abroad. Wait 'till you meet my friends, then you'll be in trouble."

I chuckled. "Can't wait. Are those your friends?" I motioned at the three bunks with someone sleeping on them.

"Just these two. The third one was sleeping already when we got here. My friends went to bed too as soon as we arrived. We've been partying in Amsterdam for three days, living off caffeine pills, and we were exhausted. I just woke up before you got here. You interrailing too? Where have you been so far?"

"Yeah, we started like over a week ago and went through London, Paris and Cologne. Denmark was actually a random decision, but it's really nice so far."

Linus started to look through his backpack, taking out some fresh clothes and a towel. He kept talking about their trip while getting his stuff together. Apparently they'd been interrailing for a month already, and were heading back to Sweden in a few days.

"Well, I'm off to the showers. Gotta be looking good tonight, because the Danish girls…they're hot! Oh, and if one of those losers wakes up, tell them Linus said to drag their butts off bed, and get ready for lady-hunting. How about you? Do you want to join us? Check out the night life? Get some?"

"I'll have to pass on that. My traveling company is not into ladies." I chuckled in my mind at the almost-certain blush that would appear on Bella's cheeks if I asked her to come hit on girls with me. Not that I would ever do such a thing, or even want to hit on anyone, traveling with her.

"Oh, who are you traveling with?"

"A friend. Her name is Bella."

"Bella, huh…Just a friend? You'd better claim her if she's any pretty. Danish guys with their white teeth know no mercy, trust me on that one" And with that Linus left the room, laughing.

"I intend to", I muttered to myself before climbing to my bunk. I needed to perfect my plan for tonight, although I already had a pretty clear vision. A place that had caught my eye during our biking session earlier. It seemed to fit my plans perfectly, though I knew Bella would require some persuading. But just like I had loved biking today, she'd love it too. Eventually.

* * *

Before the evening I took some time to text Emmett and Rose. Apparently they were still in Cologne, _enjoying the room_, but were planning on touring Germany a bit longer.

_Have you built up the courage yet?_ Was the last sentence in Emmett's text. I chose not to answer it yet. I still didn't know what to say. I liked so much as a friend, what if I ruined it by telling her something she didn't want to hear? Then she'd just be stranded in Europe with me, miles away from her friends.

Linus' friends woke up about an hour later when Linus came back and literally kicked them out of bed. He introduced them to me as Rasmus and Andreas. I of course had some trouble with pronouncing their names correctly again, but they took it just as well as Linus had. Linus started to hurry the other two up, and while they quickly showered and got ready they chatted animatedly of their trip so far. The bunch of them left soon after that to 'view the scene'. I decided to take a short nap before I had to shower and get dressed.

Before eight o'clock I was standing outside room number six. I rapped a couple of times on the door and only had to wait a few moments before Bella opened the door. To my embarrassment, and maybe hers as well, I couldn't take my eyes off. Even though I hadn't given her any direction on how to dress, she had picked just the right things for the thing I had planned. She was wearing a light, green dress that reached her knees with short sleeves on. Her hair was down, almost reaching her lower back. I had to blink several times – Bella looked stunning.

BPOV

When I heard a knock on the door, I instantly knew it was Edward so I ran to open it. He stood there behind the door in a deliciously snug pair of dark-washed jeans, a stylish white sport jacket with a brown print T-shirt underneath. Thankfully I caught myself after just a few minutes of ogling, so it might have managed to escape his notice. Quickly raising my eyes to meet his, I smiled, then immediately silently scolding my brain for starting to get fuzzy just from looking at his face. _Will you get a grip already! You just met him._

"Evening Bella. Are you ready to go?" Edward's smile was polite and his tone was smooth.

"Ah huh. I mean, yeah, I'm ready." Shaking my head slightly to clear away the haze, I stepped out the door, closing it behind me.

"So…I don't suppose you'll tell me where we're going?"

"Hmm…I suppose I might", Edward said with a grin.

"Really?" I had already seen Edward's love of surprises, and it was highly unlikely for him to just reveal his plans just a few minutes into the evening.

"Yeah, I might. But since you're going to find out in a few moments anyway, it's really no use." He let out a small chuckle, pleased with his remark.

I huffed and started walking a bit faster. Edward, of course, caught up with no problem. "Aw, don't be upset. It's only a few minutes' walk."

"Oh, I'm not mad. I merely wanted to get to wherever 'it' is, faster." I smiled angelically at that, and watched Edward's face, as he took in my supposedly innocent comment. The slight suspicion in his eyes disappeared and a smile formed there instead.

"You know, you're actually making the wait longer by stalling like this." Then he suddenly took my hand and started towing me through the lobby and outside. When I had gotten over my shock of Edward's firm grip on my hand, I hurried up to match my steps with his, making us walk side by side instead of Edward dragging me behind him.

The streets were pretty crowded, but instead of the apparent camera-loving tourists from this morning, the people looked like locals: groups of young people and couples, lots of couples. It made me wonder, if everyone thought Edward and I were a couple. We probably looked like one, since we were still holding hands…The thought made me happier than it probably should have.

"So, how are your roommates?" I asked, taking my thoughts from hopeful to more realistic ones.

That launched Edward into telling about his new Swedish acquaintances. His animated description of their stories soon made me forget why I'd been nervous to go out with him tonight. After I knew pretty much everything about Edward's roommates, I started telling him about mine. I wasn't even paying attention to where we were going, until the paved street suddenly changed into something soft beneath my feet. When I looked around, I noticed Edward had led us to the park we'd driven past earlier today when we'd biked around. The park looked so different. A perfectly normal park with dog-walkers, joggers and children running around was transformed – there was a big crowd of people dressed for an occasion which I had no idea of, a well-lit stage and even a cozy-looking outside restaurant near the stage.

I turned to Edward. "What's this? Please tell me you didn't plan this."

Edward smirked. "Thanks for the credit, but unfortunately it's not my doing. When we were biking, I just happened to notice a small banner advertising…well, advertising this."

I was instantly suspicious when he didn't want to tell me what "this" was. Like he didn't want me finding out just yet. "Do you want to clarify 'this' for me, Edward?"

"This", Edward started and took my hand again, leading me towards the stage, which was beginning to look more frightening by the minute. "This is an annual jazz-festival held here in Copenhagen. And if you want to know even more, this is a small evening concert with food, music and dance."

The last word immediately stopped me. "Dance? As in a dance performance? People with dance abilities showing off and us clapping? While sitting down in safety?" I was trying to cling to an ounce of hope.

Edward shaked his head and tugged at my arm, wanting me to start walking again. "No, Bella. Dance as in people going to the open area of that restaurant in pairs and moving their feet in rhythm."

"And were watching them while eating dinner?"

"Yeah, of course we'll have dinner. And then we'll dance."

And with that Edward stepped on to the board floor of the restaurant and made his way to an empty table with me following a few steps behind. "Never should've taken him biking…stupid banner-watcher…" I muttered to myself. When I sat down opposite Edward, I managed to slightly pull in the terror his comment about dancing had made. We'd still have dinner first, so no need to spoil that. And after…I could just pretend to twist my ankle. Or really twist my ankle.

Dancing and I didn't really go well together, never had. It wasn't really the lack of trying, because Alice had forced me to go with her to dance lessons since I could remember. It had a bit more to do with my lack of coordination and a 'balance' that made me fall flat on my face even when walking. Heck, it made me fall on my face even when standing still. With me having fallen on top of Edward in London, I was surprised he though I would want to do this.

"So, what are in the mood for?" Edward asked, choosing to proceed with his planned night even though I was sitting in my chair, silently cursing the person who ever came up with dancing. And music.

In the course of the next hour and a half my table company totally made me forget the terrible fate looming in the distance. Somehow he turned the atmosphere back to what it had been while we'd walked here, talking about everything that he saw, or that came to his mind. After my seafood ravioli and his pesto veal arrived, I loosened up as well and joined in what had been Edward telling stories and asking questions while I'd just stuck to commenting.

Now our courses were almost finished and my head was spinning from the conversation, the fuzzy feeling that came from eating good food, the glass of wine I took with dinner…and Edward.

"So…Do you want some dessert? The Ricotta cheesecake sounds tasty, what do you think? Bella?"

"Oh…That sounds fabulous, but I'm stuffed. I think you'll have to carry me all the way back."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps." He closed the menu he'd been skimming through and placed it on the table, raising his green eyes to meet mine. "However, if you're in the mood for cake, I know a great way to make some room quickly."

Was it obvious that my mind jumped to the gutter just then? Hopefully it wasn't for Edward, I really didn't want him to think eye was a one-track girl…Trying to impose as if nothing kinky had ever crossed my mind, I stammered: "Oh, like what?"

"Well, there's some really good Benny Goodman playing merely a few feet away from us…" Edward let his voice trail and his implication was suddenly becoming very clear.

The thing we'd come to do here in the first place:

"Dancing." My voice came out more as a whimper than anything else.

"Please Bella, just this one song", he said just as a swing ended and another started. He rose from the table and circled it so that he was standing in front of me, with his hand extended out to me.

I gave Edward a desperate look. "Edward, we haven't really known each other that long…gosh, it's been like just over a week?"

"Something like that, yes." Edward smiled his crooked smile with a soft expression.

"So one would think you wouldn't want to get your foot amputated, dancing with a stranger!" His surprise at where I'd taken the discussion was obvious. But pretty soon he was laughing.

"Come on you big coward!" Edward grabbed my hand and yanked me off my chair, literally dragging me towards the middle of the stage. When we halted, he came closer and whispered into my ear: "You'll be perfect, and I'll be just fine. Trust me."

Edward took my left hand and placed it on his shoulder while raising the hand he had already been holding. "Now…" he breathed, "You need to relax and let me lead you." His soft voice coaxing me to let my fear and embarrassment go.

Ever so slowly Edward started to move his feet, making me tighten my grip of him in fear. He pulled me even closer and it felt so secure that eventually I began following his feet and duplicating whatever they were doing. When I got the hang of the basic step, Edward varied it a bit and led me to more complex moves. By the end of the first song I wasn't great, but at least I hadn't trampled Edward and fallen down. Much

"Do you want to go sit now?" Edward asked me politely when the song had ended. To his surprise – and mine as well – I shook my head. "I really do like cheese cake, and I want to fit some in later."

I think Edward hardly believed my excuse, his amused smile proving it. I didn't want to stop just yet, because I was having fun. There, I said it. As soon as I had discovered I wasn't a total klutz at this for the first time ever, I wanted to have some more of it. Plus the very close proximity to Edward might've had something to do with my decision…

We danced two other songs – me getting less klutzier by the second – when the expected, anticipated and yet horrifying thing happened. A slow song came on.

I was looking down when the soft melody started, but I immediately looked up and straight to Edward's intense eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he pulled our intervened hands to rest on his chest and pulled me close, so that our legs were touching and I had to crane my neck just to be able to hold the eye contact both of us were unable to break. There was indescribable electricity between us, the charged atmosphere made me catch my breath. A moment had never felt quite this long and at the same time so short, the song was over too quickly.

Edward looked a little flushed as he let go of me, but not as flushed as I surely was. He cleared his throat. "Maybe we should go sit now, I'm really in the mood for that cake now." I nodded and followed him to the table. He ordered a piece of cheesecake and I had tiramisu.

The mood was totally different now. The flowing conversation from earlier was lost for the rest of the evening, all comments made were somehow forced. Mostly we just ate in silence, complimenting the dessert every once in a while.

We left pretty quickly after our plates were empty, after Edward had paid and I had argued hotly about him having to pay. He of course refused to split the bill, as I had suspected, but it was worth a shot at the very least. When we made our way across the park, Edward took my hand again. It was safe and familiar and somehow made the silence much more comfortable, like something was still the same from earlier even though the dancing had done something weird to us both.

The park and the streets we were walking had quieted down. It was colder, but not chilly. Occasionally I would take a sideway glance at Edward and observe him until he would do the same and I had to look away. He seemed thoughtful.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him gently, "you seem occupied."

Edward looked at me, with a smile that came from something he was thinking, something pleasant. "Oh, nothing in particular, just today, and this summer altogether…I'm just really happy we decided to Interrail this summer."

I smiled. "Yeah, me too."

Soon we were at my door, the end of this evening – I wasn't brave enough to call it a date – too incredible to describe.

"So…" I began, "I had a really good time tonight." I was trying to make Edward laugh with the most clichéd date-phrase there was, even adding a pink bubblegum voice to add the effect.

It worked, he chuckled which made me braver to continue. "But it's true…this really was the best night in Europe so far." I looked at him straight in the eye.

"I'm glad", he murmured and inched closer.

His face came closer to mine, and with a slight hesitation he really, really delicately placed his lips on mine. My breathing stopped. The kiss only lasted for a couple of seconds, but tears almost came to my eyes for the sweetness of it.

Edward stepped back and with a soft 'goodbye' he left to his room.

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**Awww, that was their first kiss. I thought of a dozen things to interrupt them, but since I just watched the final episode of season 2 of Gossip Girl, I just didn't feel like making it comic. Tell me what you think…**

**I feel absolutely horrible for not posting anything for weeks, a terrible case of writers block. Somehow I wasn't feeling too romantic and gooey, but through intense GG – Gossip girl and Gilmore girl – sessions, I found some groove, so yay :) **

**Please review!**

**-Isabella Juliet-**


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